Vietnam Futsal and the goal at SEA Games 33

The Vietnamese men's and women's futsal teams have both entered the final stages of preparation for the 33rd SEA Games. The goal that everyone is aiming for is to achieve the best results.

Men's Futsal facing challenges

In September 2025, the Vietnam men's futsal team won a ticket to the 2026 Asian Futsal Finals. In the qualifying round, coach Diego Giustozzi and his team won all 3 matches, defeating Hong Kong (China) 9-1, China 7-2 and Lebanon 4-0. At the tournament, the Vietnam futsal team showed a lively attacking style of play, scoring a total of 20 goals and conceding only 3. This was also an important test for the 33rd SEA Games.

On November 10, the Vietnam futsal team gathered again in Ho Chi Minh City, officially entering the sprint training phase to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games, taking place in December in Thailand. Coach Diego Giustozzi continues to put his trust in the pillars who have affirmed their ability and international competition experience, thereby maintaining a stable framework for the team. In addition, the team welcomes the return of two experienced ala, Tran Thai Huy and Ngo Ngoc Son.

Both, along with Nguyen Minh Tri and Pham Duc Hoa, are faces that have contributed greatly to the historic journey of helping Vietnamese futsal to participate for the first time in the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 Finals. However, according to the latest information, ala Ngo Ngoc Son missed the 33rd SEA Games due to personal reasons. Coach Diego Giustozzi called young talent Nguyen Hoang Quan from Thai Son Nam, Ho Chi Minh City to replace him.

Mr. Giustozzi also gave a chance to rookie Nguyen Tien Hung, a promising young player who grew up from the Thai Son Nam Ho Chi Minh City training center. This player was recently honored as the Best Player of the Ho Chi Minh City U20 Futsal Open Tournament 2025 and is expected to increase competitiveness, bringing new vitality to the team in the preparation period for the 33rd SEA Games.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese futsal team will train in Ho Chi Minh City until December 10, 2025, before leaving for Thailand to attend the Games. In the futsal event at the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese men's futsal team will compete in a round-robin format with opponents Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. The matches will take place at the Nonthaburi Stadium. According to the schedule, coach Diego Giustozzi and his team will meet Malaysia on December 16, Indonesia on December 17, Thailand on December 18 and close the tournament with a match against Myanmar on December 19.

With a balanced force, high determination and careful preparation, the Vietnamese futsal team aims to be in the top two teams, thereby continuing to affirm its position in the regional arena.

Vietnam men's futsal team gathers on November 10. Photo: VFF.

Women's Futsal championship ambition

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese women's futsal team will go to China for training, including two friendly matches with the Chinese women's futsal team in early December. Coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang said: "The whole team is determined to reach the final and aim for the best results at the 33rd SEA Games. We will try our best to prepare well to achieve this goal."

The team's strength in this training session still includes the core players who participated in the 2025 Asian Women's Futsal Finals, in addition to the addition of a number of young faces called up such as Tran Tuyet Mai, Lam Thi Xuan, Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong (Thai Son Nam Futsal Club, Ho Chi Minh City); Nguyen Huynh Nhu (Thong Nhat Sports Center) and Nguyen Phuong Anh ( Ninh Binh Department of Culture and Sports). Coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang emphasized: "The current squad is a combination of experience and youth. We will make adjustments in playing style and speed, aiming for positive changes, not only for the upcoming SEA Games but also for the long-term goals of Vietnamese women's futsal."

The Vietnamese women’s futsal team is in Group B with Indonesia and Myanmar. The matches will be held at BTU Hall (Bangkok Thonburi University). The team will play their opening match against Indonesia on December 12 and the remaining group stage match against Myanmar on December 14. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals on December 16, before entering the final match and the bronze medal match on December 18.

Evaluating the opponents, coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang said: “Indonesia is progressing rapidly, they played very well at the recent Asian Finals with many quality players and abundant physical strength. Myanmar is an opponent we beat in the Asian Finals qualifiers earlier this year, but they have many potential young players and will certainly bring many difficulties. This is a relatively balanced group and requires the team to have careful preparation.”

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/futsal-viet-nam-va-muc-tieu-o-sea-games-33-i787672/