Four football teams aim to reach the final of SEA Games 33: Opportunities and challenges

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Executive Committee meeting held last weekend set a key goal: The U22 men's team, the national women's team, the men's futsal team and the women's futsal team strive to reach the finals of the 33rd SEA Games.

The women's team is determined to defend its title at the SEA Games. Photo: VFF

This is also the Games where the host country aims to win all four football gold medals. Therefore, Vietnamese football will certainly have to face many difficulties and challenges in its desire to maintain its leading position in the region.

There are wide-open opportunities for Vietnamese football.

Currently, all four teams are carefully prepared for the goal at the largest arena in the region. In particular, the U22 Vietnam team will enter the Congress with great confidence with the young players who have just helped Vietnamese football set a record of winning the U23 Southeast Asian Championship three times in a row (2022, 2023, 2025). VFF has planned for the team to train at home and abroad, participate in international friendly tournaments to hone their skills and gain experience.

This is also a preparation step for the Asian Cup qualifiers and major tournaments. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have an additional advantage as Thailand is likely unable to call up its strongest squad due to conflicting domestic matches. This gives Vietnam more basis to aim for the SEA Games men's football final.

Meanwhile, the women’s team is also actively preparing to continue affirming its position as the “queen” of regional football. With four consecutive SEA Games championships from 2017 to 2023, along with the historic mark of winning a ticket to the 2023 World Cup, the Vietnamese women’s team has affirmed its superior strength.

The current squad is a harmonious combination of experience and youth from pillars such as Chuong Thi Kieu, Bich Thuy, Hai Yen, Duong Thi Van alongside rising young faces such as Tran Thi Duyen and Van Su, creating a team full of aspirations.

Before the 33rd SEA Games, the team will have more international training trips and aim for high results at the 2026 Asian Cup finals, thereby accumulating more confidence. With that luggage, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team have a great opportunity to defend the title and extend the gold record at the SEA Games arena.

In futsal, the desire to reach the final is even clearer as both teams show progress. Men's futsal defeated Thailand for the first time away in 2024 and only lost to Indonesia in the regional final when they were missing key players.

With a full squad and experienced coach Diego Giustozzi, the team has the right to hope to make a surprise. The women's futsal team has a brighter chance, having just won the 2024 Southeast Asian Championship after many runner-up finishes. Consecutive defeats of Thailand have given the women's team more confidence to aim for the historic SEA Games gold medal.

Big challenges from competitors and target pressure

The goal of reaching the final means that Vietnamese football must overcome the toughest opponents in Southeast Asia. In the men's football category, U22 Vietnam will face a big challenge from U22 Thailand and U22 Indonesia - two teams with great desire and strength.

Although Thailand may not have the strongest squad, they are still formidable at home. The “War Elephants” are the most successful team in SEA Games history with 16 championships, although the last one was in 2017. With the advantage of home fans and the determination to regain the throne after 8 years, U22 Thailand will certainly put all their efforts into this Games. The Thai Sports Commission has even publicly announced the goal of winning gold medals in all four football events at the 33rd SEA Games, showing that the host country attaches special importance to the “king sport”.

In addition, U22 Indonesia (the current champion of SEA Games 32) is emerging strongly. Indonesian youth football has made remarkable progress in recent years thanks to a talented generation of players and strong investment. At Phnom Penh 2023, Indonesia defeated Vietnam in the semi-finals on the way to winning the first gold medal after more than 30 years of waiting.

The army of the archipelago certainly does not want to stop there but aims to defend the championship, creating a big challenge for the ambition of U22 Vietnam. In addition, U22 Malaysia or U22 Myanmar cannot be underestimated, the teams always contain surprises with increasingly annoying playing styles. Obviously, the road to the men's football final will be a fierce three-horse, four-horse race that Vietnam needs to have reasonable tactics and high concentration to overcome.

As for the women's team, although they are dominating the region, they will certainly be under pressure to defend their title and cannot be complacent at this SEA Games. Thailand, with home field advantage, is eager to end their losing streak against Vietnam. The Philippines is getting stronger thanks to their naturalized players, who have participated in the World Cup and are ready to return to the SEA Games with a strong force.

Myanmar also showed progress when reaching the final of the 32nd SEA Games. In addition, the issue of force is a big challenge, many pillars of Vietnam have entered the other side of the career slope, while the young generation still need time to accumulate experience. Coach Mai Duc Chung's expected departure from the team due to the burden of age in the near future also raises the issue of coaching transfer.

In futsal, Vietnam is still under great pressure from Thailand - a team that has dominated the region for many years. Indonesia has also emerged strongly, once making the Vietnamese men's team regret in the final of the AFF Cup 2024. In women's futsal, although they beat Thailand in the Southeast Asian tournament, the Vietnamese girls still need to stay alert, because their opponents have just won a ticket to the Women's Futsal World Cup and gained a lot of valuable experience.

It can be seen that the goal of winning tickets to the finals of all four football events at the 33rd SEA Games demonstrates the great determination of Vietnamese football in affirming its position as number one in Southeast Asia. Recent impressive achievements, along with strategic preparations from the VFF, bring many grounds for optimism.

However, the road to glory is always thorny, as regional rivals are showing strong progress. If these challenges can be overcome, Vietnamese football will not only reap more glory at the SEA Games but also create a solid momentum to move towards continental arenas in the future.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/bon-doi-tuyen-bong-da-dat-muc-tieu-vao-chung-ket-sea-games-33-co-hoi-va-thach-thuc-20250908150543509.htm