AFC is paying special attention to coach Mai Duc Chung ahead of the 2026 Asian Cup.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - At the age of 75, Coach Mai Duc Chung is still diligently working to coach the Vietnamese women's national football team. Ahead of the 2026 Asian Cup, the AFC website published an article paying tribute to this coach.

The 2026 Asian Women's Football Championship (Asian Cup) finals will take place from March 1st to March 21st in Australia. In this tournament, the women's national football team is in Group C along with Japan, India, and Chinese Taipei.

Among the members of the women's national football team, there is one figure who has etched his name in the history of women 's football: Coach Mai Duc Chung. In 2023, Coach Chung became the oldest coach of a national team participating in the World Cup Finals (combining both men's and women's football, at the age of 72).

Coach Mai Duc Chung is a figure attracting media attention in Asia ahead of the continental tournament (Photo: Tuan Bao).

Therefore, when coach Mai Duc Chung and the Vietnamese women's national team participated in this year's Asian Championship finals, the AFC's homepage could not ignore this historical figure. The AFC wrote: "Coach Mai Duc Chung's passion for football remains as strong as ever. For him, the development of Vietnamese football is always the most valuable thing."

"That's why, even though he had decided to retire in 2023, he decided to return because the allure of football, for him, was too hard to resist. After 7 years leading the Vietnamese women's national football team, culminating in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, Mr. Chung had relinquished the head coach position to his successor."

However, given the difficulty in finding a suitable replacement for Mr. Chung in women's football, the VFF once again turned to one of the most outstanding figures in the history of Vietnamese football. Mr. Chung accepted the offer with a great sense of responsibility,” the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website added.

The AFC also quoted coach Mai Duc Chung as saying: “I am getting older and wanted to spend time resting with my family after 2023. But for the sake of my career, my love and passion for the job, and the invitation from the VFF, I decided to return.”

At the age of 75, coach Mai Duc Chung is still diligently working in top-level football coaching (Photo: VFF).

"I've been involved with Vietnamese women's football for 30 years. We only have 6 clubs participating in the domestic women's football championship, yet we still manage to reach the international stage. That's the result of the utmost effort by Vietnamese women's football."

The Vietnamese women's national team has participated in the AFC Women's Asian Cup finals three times in a row. Currently, we are focusing on training young players from clubs and localities where women's football is developing, including in schools and youth training programs,” added Mai Duc Chung on the AFC website.

The Asian Football Confederation's official website also shared: "The 2026 Asian Championship is a top priority in the mind of coach Mai Duc Chung. The penalty shootout defeat in the SEA Games 33 final against the Philippines was a great disappointment for him, but he still believes in the future of Vietnamese youth football."

“Placed in Group C alongside Japan, India, and Taiwan, the Vietnamese women's football team is considered one of the strong contenders for a quarter-final spot. From the quarter-finals onwards, Coach Mai Duc Chung's team only needs one more victory to return to the FIFA World Cup 2027,” the AFC emphasized.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/afc-quan-tam-dac-biet-den-hlv-mai-duc-chung-truoc-asian-cup-2026-20260207144644076.htm