Coach Diego Giustozzi and his team entered the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship with careful preparation and high concentration right from the opening match against Kuwait. The coaching staff clearly defined the requirements, each match in the group stage is not only about competing for results but also an opportunity to accumulate experience for long-term goals, including the journey towards the 2028 Futsal World Cup.
In Group B, the Vietnamese futsal team won two important victories against Kuwait and Lebanon. The minimal 0-1 defeat to Thailand did not change the general situation. With 6 points after three matches, the Vietnamese team closed the group stage in second place, thereby winning the right to enter the quarter-finals according to the set plan.
Preparing a methodical tactic from the group stage
Throughout the group stage, the Vietnam futsal team showed flexibility in approaching the match, the ability to adjust tactics according to each opponent and the spirit of disciplined competition. The coaching staff actively monitored potential opponents from early on, in which Indonesia was identified as the option that could meet in the knockout round. The fact that assistant coaches directly attended the match between Indonesia and Iraq to collect tactical data shows that the preparation was carried out systematically.
Captain Nguyen Manh Dung, a pillar of experience and leading role, assessed Indonesia as an opponent with relatively balanced level with Vietnam. This assessment helps the whole team to be more confident before the quarter-finals, when the players understand that they can completely play fairly if they maintain concentration and tactical discipline.
The journey to the quarter-finals of the Vietnamese futsal team is therefore not simply the result of individual efforts, but reflects the stability in preparation, from tactics, personnel to competitive psychology at key moments.
Away challenge and breakthrough opportunity
The 2026 AFC Futsal Championship quarter-final match between Vietnam and host Indonesia takes place at 7:00 PM on February 3, 2026 at Indonesia Arena, a stadium with a capacity of more than 15,000 spectators. Playing on the opponent's field is a big challenge, but professional assessments show that this is a match with a relatively balanced game.
Indonesia entered the knockout round with the top spot in Group A, undefeated in all three matches and impressed with a fast, high-intensity playing style. The enthusiastic cheers from home fans are considered a significant advantage, and also create great pressure for any opponent. However, this is also a match between the two leading futsal teams in Southeast Asia, where the difference in level is not too obvious.
Coach Hector Souto of the Indonesian futsal team admitted the competitiveness in the region when saying: "Futsal teams like Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in Southeast Asia can all win against each other, because the level difference is not too large and each team has prepared carefully. The opponent Vietnam is an experienced and brave team and we will have to prepare optimally if we want to enter the semi-finals.
According to the assessment of journalist Duc Nguyen - who has many years of following and accompanying futsal teams at all levels in many major tournaments, the Vietnamese futsal team has many grounds to believe in a positive result, even if they have to play on the opponent's field. He analyzed: "Indonesia plays very fast, relying heavily on physical strength and the pressure of home fans, but Vietnam has strengths in tactical organization, discipline and ability to control the pace of the match. In knockout matches, bravery and alertness are often more important than speed".
Journalist Duc Nguyen further emphasized: "If the Vietnam futsal team maintains a good team distance and limits individual mistakes, the opportunity to advance is completely open. Indonesia is under pressure to win as the host, while Vietnam is at a disadvantage in terms of field, which can help Vietnamese players play more proactively in terms of psychology and be ready to wait for opportunities.
With careful preparation in tactics, stable psychology and positive assessments from experts as well as opponents, the Vietnamese futsal team entered the quarter-finals with the necessary confidence, ready to aim for a deep advance at the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship.
