Vietnam's U16 girls are determined to break their Southeast Asian Championship curse

In every edition they have entered, Vietnam's U16 girls have yet to make it to the Southeast Asian final.

Vietnam's U16 girls performed impressively in the group stage of the Southeast Asian U16 Championship, winning two matches 5-0 against Cambodia and 2-0 against Myanmar. This achievement allowed Coach Okiyama Masahiko’s team to confidently advance to the semifinals as the top team in Group B. They will face the best second-placed team, Thailand.

Vietnam's U16 girls now have a chance to end their streak of never reaching the final in the 2025 Southeast Asian U16 Championship. Previously, in four participations, their best result was third place (three times third place and once failing to pass the group stage).

This time, the challenge for Coach Okiyama Masahiko’s team is not easy, even though Thailand reached the semifinals as the second in their group. This is because they faced Australia’s U16 girls and, despite their efforts, lost 1-2. Afterwards, Thailand showed their strength by winning 7-0 against Singapore to secure their semifinal spot.

The Southeast Asian U16 girls’ semifinals will not feature VAR. Since the matches are played at 3:30 PM, each half will have two cooling breaks for players to hydrate, depending on the referee’s decision. Also, neither Vietnam’s nor Thailand’s U16 girls have any suspended players for this semifinal.

Additionally, in the 2025 Southeast Asian U16 girls’ semifinals, if the two teams are tied after 90 minutes, the winner will be decided immediately by a penalty shootout without extra time. Vietnam’s U16 girls have shown good penalty skills, scoring both goals against Myanmar from the penalty spot.

Thailand’s U16 girls’ coach Thidarat Wiwasuku regards Vietnam as a strong team but remains confident aiming for victory.“Vietnam is a strong team, and I believe this match will be both exciting and highly competitive.We look forward to a good result from the game. I want the young players to give their best. I hope Thailand’s U16 girls will win tomorrow."