Participating teams were selected based on criteria established by host nation Japan, which were subsequently approved by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The selection process considered results from the U23 Asian Championship and the Women's Asian Cup 2026.

Vietnam stands as the sole Southeast Asian country among seven nations confirmed for both men's and women's football competitions. The other countries in this group are Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Uzbekistan. Additionally, nine other teams will compete in the men's tournament: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Syria, Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, and Thailand. For the women's tournament, five other teams will participate: India, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, Philippines, and North Korea.

Vietnam (red shirts) lost 0-7 to Japan in the final group stage match of women's football at ASIAD 19 in China on 28/9/2023.

This marks the eighth consecutive appearance for Vietnam's women's football team at the Asian Games since 1998, with their best performance being a fourth-place finish in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. The men's team will make its seventh consecutive appearance since 2002, also achieving a best result of fourth place in 2018. At ASIAD 2022, both teams were eliminated in the group stage.

The Asian Games football tournament follows Olympic regulations, allowing U23 players along with three over-age players for the men's competition. However, in December 2025, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) proposed to the Sports Authority of Vietnam a plan to use a U21 squad, comprising players born from 1/1/2005 onwards, similar to their approach at ASIAD 19.

The VFF views this as an opportunity for these young players to gain experience before competing at the SEA Games 34 in Malaysia in 2027. It also serves as important preparation for the U23 Asian Championship 2028, which will also act as an Olympic qualifier in the United States that same year.

The ASIAD 20 is scheduled from 19/9 to 4/10 in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan. This event coincides with the FIFA international match calendar from 21/9 to 6/10, which includes four national team friendly matches. These friendlies are considered important preparation leading up to the Asian Cup in January 2027.

Vietnam midfielder Le Van Thuan, born in 2006 (red shirt, center), celebrates scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Kyrgyzstan in the second match of Group A at the U23 Asian Championship 2026 in Saudi Arabia on 9/1. Photo: AFC

Vietnam midfielder Le Van Thuan, born in 2006 (red shirt, center), celebrates scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Kyrgyzstan in the second match of Group A at the U23 Asian Championship 2026 in Saudi Arabia on 9/1. Photo: AFC

The last time Vietnam fielded a "U23+3" squad at the Asian Games was in 2018 in Indonesia. That generation of players, who had just been runners-up at the U23 Asian Championship, combined with three senior players—Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Anh Duc, and Nguyen Van Quyet—helped Vietnam reach the semifinals for the first time and finish fourth.

For ASIAD 19 in China, the men's football team used a "U24+3" squad because the Games were postponed from 2022 to 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The VFF also shifted its approach, with 16 of the 22 participating players belonging to the U20 age group, five players being age-eligible, and one over-age player, goalkeeper Do Sy Huy, born in 1998.

Historically, football teams at the Asian Games were registered by their respective National Olympic Committees without specific qualification criteria from the AFC or OCA. The inaugural Asian Games in India in 1951 featured only six men's national teams, with participation ranging from 8 to 18 teams in the subsequent 11 editions. From ASIAD 1998 to 2022, the number of men's teams ranged from a low of 21 (2022) to a high of 29 (2014).

South Korea leads with six gold medals in men's football. They are followed by Iran (4), India, Myanmar, Chinese Taipei (2), and Japan, North Korea, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Qatar (one each).

Women's football made its debut at ASIAD 1990 in China, with six national teams competing. Four years later in Japan, only four teams participated, then the number stabilized between 6 and 8 for the next four editions. The last three editions saw 11 teams (2014, 2018) and 16 teams (2022).

Japan, China, and North Korea have each won three gold medals in women's football.

Hieu Luong