Ranked 37th by FIFA, Vietnam was placed in pot 2 alongside defending champion China (17th) and South Korea (21st). Pot 1 consisted of host Australia (15th), Japan (7th), and North Korea (9th).
Pot 3 included the Philippines (41st), Taiwan (42nd), and Uzbekistan (51st), while pot 4 featured Iran (68th), India (70th), and Bangladesh (128th).
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Coach Mai Duc Chung (right) and forward Huynh Nhu (second from left) attend the 2026 Women's Asian Cup draw in Australia on 29/7/2025. Photo: VFF |
Coach Mai Duc Chung (right) and forward Huynh Nhu (second from left) attend the 2026 Women's Asian Cup draw in Australia on 29/7/2025. Photo: VFF
Vietnam was drawn into Group C with Japan, Taiwan, and Bangladesh.
In the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, Vietnam also faced Japan in Group C, losing 0-3. However, the team still advanced to the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-placed teams, before losing 1-3 to China. In the playoffs, Vietnam defeated Thailand 2-0 and Taiwan 2-1 to secure their first-ever World Cup berth in 2023.
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Vietnam (red) lost to Japan (blue) 0-3 in the 2022 Women's Asian Cup group stage at Shiv Chhatrapati Stadium, India, on 24/1/2022. Photo: Reuters |
Vietnam (red) lost to Japan (blue) 0-3 in the 2022 Women's Asian Cup group stage at Shiv Chhatrapati Stadium, India, on 24/1/2022. Photo: Reuters
The 2026 Women's Asian Cup will take place from 1/3 to 21/3/2026 across five stadiums in three Australian cities. Sydney will host matches at Accor Stadium (79,500 capacity) and Western Sydney Stadium (30,000 capacity). Gold Coast will use its namesake stadium with a capacity of 28,000. Perth will host matches at Optus Stadium (60,000 capacity) and Perth Rectangular Stadium (19,500 capacity).
Vietnam's matches will be held in Perth, Western Australia, at Perth Rectangular Stadium. They will face India on 4/3/2026, Taiwan on 7/3, and Japan on 10/3. While the final group matches will be played simultaneously, Vietnam and Japan will remain in Perth, while India and Taiwan will travel to Sydney.
Gold Coast will host Group A, consisting of Australia, South Korea, Iran, and the Philippines. Sydney will host Group B, which includes North Korea, China, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan.
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Groups for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. Photo: AFC |
Groups for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. Photo: AFC
Teams will play a round-robin format, with the top three teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The four quarterfinal winners will qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The four losing teams will compete in playoffs for the remaining two World Cup spots.
The 2026 Women's Asian Cup is the 21st edition of the tournament, first held in 1975 in Hong Kong. China leads with 9 titles, followed by North Korea and Taiwan (3 each), Japan (2), and Australia, Thailand, and New Zealand (1 each).
Vietnam's best result is reaching the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2022.
This tournament marks Bangladesh's first appearance, and they are the only team outside FIFA's top 100.
Hieu Luong
