Vietnam's women's futsal team and its coach, Nguyen Dinh Hoang, have both received nominations for the prestigious 2025 Futsal Planet Awards. These nominations recognize their outstanding performance in the past year, marking a significant milestone for Vietnamese futsal on the international stage.
Futsal Planet, a leading indoor football magazine, has presented its annual awards since 2000. Often considered the equivalent of the Ballon d'Or for the 5-a-side game, these awards fill a void as FIFA does not offer specific futsal accolades.
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Vietnam women's futsal team celebrates a 5-0 victory over Indonesia to win a gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand on 18/12/2025. Photo: Dong Huyen
In late 2025, Futsal Planet unveiled the nominees. Vietnam's women's futsal team is among six contenders for the best women's national team award, alongside Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Poland, and Thailand. Coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang also features in the six-strong list for best women's national team coach, competing with Claudia Pons Xandri (Spain), Luis Miguel Jeronimo da Conceicao (Portugal), Silvio Nicolas Noriega (Argentina), Thanatorn Santanaprasit (Thailand), and Adil Sayeh (Morocco).
The nominations stem from the team's impressive 2025 season. The women's futsal team played 11 official matches, securing eight wins, two draws, and only one loss. Under coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang's leadership, the squad reached the quarterfinals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup in China, where they were eliminated by Japan, missing out on a spot in the 2025 women's futsal World Cup. However, they dominated the SEA Games, winning all four matches to clinch their first gold medal. This success propelled the team to 11th in the FIFA rankings.
The squad includes several players who transitioned from football, notably midfielder Tran Thi Thuy Trang and forward Tran Thi Thu Xuan. Despite these achievements, Vietnam has never had a player win any of Futsal Planet's awards. Previously, goalkeeper Ho Van Y was nominated for best goalkeeper in 2021 but ultimately finished 10th.
The results for the 2025 awards are scheduled to be announced on 7/1/2026.
Hoang An
