Culture - Sports

U20 women’s football players gather ahead of 2026 AFC Asian Qualifiers

The national U20 women’s football team will gather for training from July 1 to August 11, in preparation for Group B matches of the 2026 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers scheduled for August 6-10 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre in Hanoi.

The national U20 women’s football team (Photo: VFF)
The national U20 women’s football team (Photo: VFF)

Hanoi (VNA) – The national U20 women’s football team will gather for training from July 1 to August 11, in preparation for Group B matches of the 2026 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers scheduled for August 6-10 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre in Hanoi, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has announced.

Head coach Okiyama Masahiko of Japan will lead a squad of 29 players, drawn mainly from local football hubs including Ha Nam (8 players), Thai Nguyen (8), Hanoi (7), Ho Chi Minh City (4), and one each from Vinh Phuc and Quang Ninh.

According to Coach Okiyama, most of the players called up for this training camp were part of the squad that competed at the 2025 AFF U19 Women’s Championship in June. Three new players have been added to the roster including Lo Thi Huyen Trang (Ha Nam), Dao Khanh Vy (Hanoi), and Ca Thi Phuong (Thai Nguyen). Some key players are currently unavailable due to injuries or commitments with the U16 national team, some adjustments will be made.

Commenting on the upcoming training phase, Coach Okiyama said he has become familiar with working in Vietnam. The players are friendly, eager to learn, and attentive, which makes training enjoyable.

For the upcoming qualifiers, the team will address challenges identified during the recent AFF U19 tournament and use the training period to make improvements, he said.

As part of their preparation, the team will undergo a 10-day domestic training camp in Hanoi before departing for Japan from July 11-21./.

VNA
#football #U20 women’s football team #Vietnam Football Federation #2026 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup
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