The thorny road to the World Cup for the Vietnamese women's team

To return to the World Cup, the Vietnamese women's team still has a long way to go with difficulties such as limited next generation, while opponents are getting stronger.

The women's team's difficult problem

Vietnamese women's football received good news when the International Football Federation (FIFA) decided to increase the number of teams participating in the 2031 Women's World Cup finals from 32 to 48 teams, meaning Asia will have 8-10 places to participate. Opportunities for Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Uzbekistan will be wide open.

The Vietnamese women's team needs new players to surpass regional rivals.

Photo: VFF

However, that is a story of 5 years from now. For now, the Vietnamese women's team is still facing a fierce competition. Only 6 slots are allocated to Asian teams (selected through rankings at the 2026 Asian Cup), while there are already very strong teams such as Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea standing like difficult mountains to overcome.

The Vietnamese women's team has won a ticket to the 2023 World Cup after a courageous journey mixed with both luck and fortune. The efforts of coach Mai Duc Chung and his team cannot be denied, but to be fair, there are still major limitations that the "diamond girls" must overcome.

First of all, physical strength and experience. With only 13-15 matches per year at the club level (this season, only the Ho Chi Minh City women's team has more matches due to competing in the Asian tournament), it is difficult for Vietnamese women's players to develop their abilities beyond the threshold, but only stop at the limit of Southeast Asia or close to Asia. Limitations in terms of facilities and training level at the club (many players have had to start training again from the beginning when joining the national team) are also obstacles. Currently, the Vietnamese women's team is investing in training and regular international friendlies. However, this is only a "watering the tip" solution. The root still lies in youth training and the club system, and in this aspect, Vietnamese women's football lacks a breakthrough.

Then there is the human aspect. Carrying the Vietnamese women's team is still the senior generation who have passed the other side of their career slope such as Huynh Nhu (34 years old), Bich Thuy, Kim Thanh, Duong Thi Van, Tran Thi Thu, Tuyet Dung, Hai Yen (all 31 years old)... The generation of players born in 2000 - 2001, who should be at the peak of their careers at this time, are in a lull. Young center back Hai Linh was injured and missed the entire 2025 Women's National Cup and was not called up to the national team. Thanh Nha, Van Su, Tuyet Ngan, Thu Thuong, Vu Thi Hoa have all played for the national team for 3 - 4 years, but have not made a breakthrough in recent times.

Let's face it: Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club dominated the National Championship and Women's National Cup mainly thanks to the experience of the very old faces Huynh Nhu, Chuong Thi Kieu, Thuy Trang, and the strength of overseas Vietnamese stars like Chelsea Le, Ashley Ton That Tram Anh. Meanwhile, the Hanoi Women's Team, which has a promising 2001 generation, only finished fourth in the National Championship last season and was eliminated in the group stage of the National Cup for two consecutive years.

SOLUTION

When the next generation cannot break through, Vietnamese women's football is taking a new path, which is naturalizing players. However, the journey is also full of hardships.

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Mr. Lam Le, the father of Vietnamese-American player Chelsea Le, said that he has been trying to naturalize his daughter for many months but has not had any results. The same goes for Tram Anh, a Vietnamese-American player currently playing for the Ho Chi Minh City women's team. All are talented, but need time to obtain citizenship before they can contribute to the national team.

However, the overseas Vietnamese force is just the tip of the iceberg. Vietnamese women's football still needs a quality domestic league, more businesses to invest money, upgrade the youth training system and coaching team...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/duong-den-world-cup-chong-gai-cua-doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-185250510224215726.htm