Overseas Vietnamese midfielder Nam Mi has not met professional requirements.
On the afternoon of June 28, the four coaches of the four women's teams participating in Group E of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers attended a press conference before the competition. The teams that will be in Group E include the Vietnamese women's team (host), UAE, Maldives and Guam Island. Right before the tournament, coach Mai Duc Chung finalized the list of the Vietnamese women's team. Midfielder Nguyen Hoang Nam Mi is one of the four names saying goodbye to the team.
Coach Mai Duc Chung explained: "I really hope that overseas Vietnamese players will contribute to the Vietnam women's team. This is a player who is suitable for the profession. We are very happy that Nam Mi is training with the team. However, because her profession does not meet the requirements, I have to remove her name from the list. In this training session, the Vietnam women's team also has the services of some young players such as Minh Chuyen and Nguyen Thi Hoa."
Nam Mi in the Vietnamese women's team jersey
PHOTO: VUONG ANH
The goal of the Vietnamese women's team is to top Group E to get a ticket to the 2026 Asian Cup. In the most recent Asian Cup, coach Mai Duc Chung's students finished fifth overall to get a ticket to the 2023 World Cup.
"The Vietnamese women's team aims to top Group E of the qualifying round. We will show our determination right from the opening match against Maldives. For the Vietnamese women's team, UAE, Maldives and Guam are all opponents that we respect. They have all made significant progress. Towards this qualifying round, all three teams have played friendly matches. The whole team needs to be careful and make a lot of effort," coach Mai Duc Chung shared.
"The invested teams have all progressed rapidly. Vietnam itself has also made progress in the past two years. One of them is participating in the 2026 World Cup. Looking forward to the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers, we had a training trip to Japan. That is a good environment for the women's team to develop.
When training in Vietnam, it will be difficult for us to have such quality players. Normally, the Vietnamese women's team will have to play friendly matches with men's teams. Therefore, training in an environment like Japan is very good for our development."
Cautious opponent
Meanwhile, UAE coach Vera Pauw shared: "After football returned after the pandemic, I had the opportunity to work with my colleagues at the UAE women's team. We are proud of what we have achieved. In this tournament, we will see what we can do, where we are and try our best.
The selection of domestic players to play for the UAE women's team is partly due to cultural influence. Besides, the coaching staff and I want to create conditions for domestic players. These players will be the future of UAE women's football."
Vietnam women's team is ready
PHOTO: VFF
The UAE women's team is following the same path as the Philippines, which is to naturalize many European and American players to enhance their physique and youth. In the squad that coach Vera Pauw brought to Vietnam, there are 3 faces playing for American university teams, including Ana Steven (Delta State University), Mia Lindborg (Seton Hill University) and Elizabeth Forshaw (Columbus State Cougars).
There is also Georgia Gibson, a midfielder who is playing for Middlesbrough women's team on loan from Newcastle (England).
Of course, 4 naturalized players can hardly help the UAE women rise overnight. In the last 2 friendly matches with Malaysia, UAE lost all (1-3 and 0-2). Coach Vera Pauw's team is still lacking in technique, tactics and team coordination.
Meanwhile, Maldives coach Mohammed Nizam expressed: "Our team is very happy to meet quality teams. We are ready to play with the highest effort. There is a little regret in the preparation for the qualifying round. But Maldives will try to contribute the best matches in this qualifying round.
Meeting the Vietnamese women's team in the opening match is the biggest challenge for Maldives in the qualifying round. We will try to prepare as best as possible. Hopefully the players will have the best performance."
For her part, Guam coach Kim Sherman modestly said: "The team wants to see how good they are through continental matches. Meeting teams in big tournaments will help develop Guam women's football in the future."
The Vietnamese women's team will play their opening match of the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers at 7:00 p.m. on June 29 at Viet Tri Stadium, against the Maldives.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/da-ro-ly-do-cau-thu-viet-kieu-nam-mi-bi-loai-khoi-doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-185250628130101887.htm
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