Beach football 

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam are expecting some tough competition from the start when they take part in the Asian Beach Football Championship next month in Thailand.

The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four and Việt Nam are in Group D up against Oman, Bahrain and Malaysia.

The first two are considered continental powerhouses in the sport, while Malaysia have advanced to the quarter-finals twice in their four times participating at the Championship.

Coach Mai Văn Đức has called up 20 players for the campaign, with the majority of them being members of Đà Nẵng FC, the defending champions, and Khánh Hòa FC. Sporting commentators have consistently placed these two as the best beach football clubs in Việt Nam, ever since the domestic league organised for the first time in 2009.

Notable names of the squad are best scorer Trần Kim Trung, MVP Trần Ngọc Bảo and rising stars Trần Vĩnh Phong, Nguyễn Anh Quang, Lê Quý Long Vỹ, Phan Đạt and Hồ Quốc Hưng.

The team will gather for training on February 25 in Đà Nẵng and coach Đức will slim down the side to 12 before leaving for Thailand. 

Teams will complete in round robin format from March 20, with the top two strongest in each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

The final is scheduled for March 30 at the Jomtien Beach in Pattaya and the top three teams will go on to represent Asia at the world championships in the Seychelles in May. VNS