Football

 

HÀ NỘI — The national women's football team will gather for training for important competitions in 2025 today in Hà Nội.

Việt Nam will compete in three events - the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualification, the Southeast Asian Women's Football Championship 2025 and the 33rd SEA Games 33.

The team has been tasked to secure a place in the Asian Cup and take a top spot in the regional tournament.

Coach Mai Đức Chung has announced a list of 25 players for this training camp, a list which has some unexpected absences, from both veteran and younger players.

As the world's oldest national women's team trainer, he will be disappointed not to call up some core players such as five-time Golden Ball winner Huỳnh Như, two-time Silver Ball holder Chương Thị Kiều and last year's Silver Ball winner Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Ngân of HCM City FC.

They have all requested leave, with their team busy preparing for the AFC Women's Champions League semi-finals. HCM City will play Wuhan Jiangda later this month.

The match is important, with the single leg semi-final and final being played in a centralised venue, May 21-24, with the four teams not only vying for continental glory, but also for the sole ticket to the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup in early 2026.

Chung is however calling up other familiar names such as goalkeepers Trần Thị Kim Thanh and Khổng Thị Hằng, midfielders Ngân Thị Vạn Sự, Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy, Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Dung and Thái Thị Thảo,  and defenders Hoàng Thị Loan, Trần Thị Duyên and Lương Thị Thu Hương.

Due to the absence of top goal scorers Như and Ngân, young talented players Nguyễn Minh Chuyên, Tạ Thị Thủy and Vũ Thị Hoa are being called, making up a front line alongside veteran striker Phạm Hải Yến. 

Chung, who decided to return to coaching after retiring last year, will be supported by assistants such as coach Đoàn Minh Hải, fitness trainer Cedric Sege Christian Roger and former national players, defender Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Anh and goalkeeper Đặng Kiều Trinh.

The team will have 10 days to get in shape for their friendly match German Werder Bremen, a game to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Earlier, they will play HCM City FC, also as part of their training plan. They will then travel to Japan for a ten-day intensive course from June 8-18.

They will then return home and practise in Phú Thọ Province's Việt Trì Stadium for the AFC Asian Cup 2026 qualification, which will be organised there from June 29 to July 5.

Việt Nam are in Group E with the UAE, Guam and the Maldives, teams not considered too great a threat if they play in keeping with their world rankings. Coach Chung and his players are aiming to lead the group and get an automatic ticket to the finals.

The regional championship will also be held at Việt Trì Stadium on August 7-18 with teams and scheduled to be confirmed later. The Philippines are reigning champions.

Indonesia was originally named as the host of the tournament. However, due to conflicting schedules with the 2025 ASEAN U16 Women's Championship, Indonesia withdrew their hosting rights. As a result, the ASEAN Football Federation chose Việt Nam as the new host nation.

The 33rd SEA Games will be held in December in Thailand. Việt Nam defeated Myanmar 2-0 to defend their crown and win the gold for the fourth consecutive time at the previous Games in Cambodia in 2023. VNS