In the same group as Thailand, the Japanese coach aims to lead Vietnam to the World Cup

Coach Okiyama Masahiko has confirmed his desire to guide Vietnam's U20 women's team to qualify for the U20 Women's World Cup finals.

On the afternoon of November 10, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw for the 2026 AFC U20 Women's Championship group stage. The outcome was, Vietnam's U20 women's team was placed in Group A alongside host Thailand, China, and Bangladesh.

It is evident that China’s U20 women's team is highly rated in Group A. During the qualifiers, they won all three matches, scoring 21 goals without conceding any. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Thailand’s U20 women's teams are familiar rivals, frequently facing each other in Southeast Asian youth tournaments. The most recent encounter was the final of the 2025 U19 Women's Southeast Asian Championship held in June 2025 at Thong Nhat Stadium, where the young Thai team won 3-1.

Regarding the draw results, the head coach of Vietnam’s U20 women's team stated: “Now that the draw and match schedule are confirmed, firstly, to prepare for the opening match against China, I want to thoroughly analyze our opponent. The second match will be against the host Thailand. I intend to turn the disappointment from the 2025 U19 Southeast Asian Championship into motivation to prepare and win.

In the third match against Bangladesh, our entire team will strive to secure all three points to achieve the goal of reaching the quarterfinals and then aim for further targets. We will prepare carefully together to seize the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.”

According to the regulations, teams will compete in a single round-robin format, earning points. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. The final tournament will be held in Thailand from April 1 to April 18, 2026.

The AFC U20 Women's Championship also serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2026 U20 Women's World Cup. The four semifinalists will represent Asia on the global stage. If successful, this will mark the first time Vietnam’s U20 women’s team participates in the World Cup.

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