The Vietnamese women's team will face Taiwan (China) in the opening match of Group A of ASIAD 2026 women's football. This is an important match for the goal of winning the right to advance for both teams.
In Group A, the Japanese women's team is rated higher and is likely to occupy a position in the top group. Therefore, the competition for the remaining ticket to the quarter-finals is predicted to be a race between the Vietnamese women's team, Taiwan (China) and Thailand.
A victory in the opening match will help the Vietnamese women's team create a significant advantage over direct competitors. Conversely, if they lose points, the task of winning the right to advance will become more difficult in the next matches.
Before entering ASIAD 2026, the Vietnamese women's team had a training trip in Suzhou (China) and played 2 friendly matches. The team won 1-0 against Jiangsu Suning Club, then suffered a 0-3 defeat to the Chinese women's team.
These matches help the coaching staff check forces, test tactical plans and create conditions for players to accumulate experience before entering the official tournament. In particular, the confrontation with the Chinese women's team brings many lessons when the Vietnamese women's team has to face one of the strong teams in Asia.
Taiwan (China) is not a strange opponent to the Vietnamese women's team. The two teams have faced each other many times and often create matches with professional tensions.
At ASIAD 2018, the two teams drew 0-0 in official time, before Taiwan (China) won 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
In the most recent meeting at the Asian Cup in March, the Vietnamese women's team lost to Taiwan (China) with a score of 0-1. This result shows that the opponent is a significant challenge for coach Hoang Van Phuc's team.
In the previous 10 encounters, the Vietnamese women's team won 5 matches, drew 2 and lost 3 against Taiwan (China). This achievement partly shows the balance between the two teams, and also makes the opening match at ASIAD 2026 predicted to be not easy.
The Vietnamese women's team needs to maintain certainty in defense, limit ball loss situations in dangerous areas and make good use of the opportunities created. The ability to control the midfield can also play an important role when Taiwan (China) is likely to choose a tight playing style.
With pre-tournament preparation and determination to win 3 points in the opening match, the Vietnamese women's team is expected to have a positive performance against Taiwan (China). If they play to their full potential and take advantage of opportunities well, coach Hoang Van Phuc's team has a basis to aim for victory.
The match between the Vietnamese women's team and Taiwan (China) takes place at 2:00 PM on September 14 (Vietnam time) at Shizuoka Ecopa Stadium (Japan).
