Vietnamese women's football team gathers for 2027 FIFA World Cup bid

The Vietnamese national women's football team gathered for a training session on August 18 under the leadership of head coach Mai Duc Chung.
Striker Huynh Nhu, who recently completed a two-year stint playing for Lank FC in Portugal, has also joined the training camp. (Photo: bongdadoisong.vn)
Striker Huynh Nhu, who recently completed a two-year stint playing for Lank FC in Portugal, has also joined the training camp. (Photo: bongdadoisong.vn)

This marks the start of their preparations to secure a spot at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The training camp will be held in two phases, with the first stage taking place in Hanoi from August 18 to September 1 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre. The team will then travel to the Czech Republic for further training from September 1 to 15.

The squad include the return of Nguyen Thi Van, who has recovered from injury. Several young players from the U20 age group have also been called up, including Nguyen Thi Kim Yen and Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh from Ho Chi Minh City, Luu Nhu Quynh of Thai Nguyen and Ta Thi Thuy of Ha Nam.

Striker Huynh Nhu, who recently completed a two-year stint playing for Lank FC in Portugal, has also joined the training camp.

Nhu, captain of the Vietnamese women's team, is a seven-time national champion and five-time Vietnamese Women's Golden Ball award winner. She is the first Vietnamese female player to compete in Europe.

Nhu’s contract with Lank FC expires after the 2023 - 2024 Portuguese women's championship ends. The striker, born in 1991, returned to Vietnam in June this year and received much attention from domestic football teams. After a period of negotiation, Nhu decided to return to play for HCM City 1. In case Nhu continues to play abroad, HCM City 1 say they will support her.

The training sessions are seen as the first step towards the Vietnamese women's team's ambition to secure a spot at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

In the latest FIFA women's football rankings, Vietnam maintain their 37th place in the world, sixth in Asia and top in Southeast Asia. The Philippines are ranked 39th, while Thailand have dropped to 47th.

VNA