Hanoi (VNA) – The Asian Football Confederation has slotted Vietnam into Pot 2 alongside China and the Republic of Korea (RoK) for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, scheduled for March 1-21 in Australia, according to the Vietnam Football Federation.
The tournament, a key qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, will feature 12 teams competing for regional honours and global spots.
The lineup includes hosts Australia, the RoK, Japan, China, Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Taiwan (China), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Uzbekistan, Iran, and Vietnam.
Teams are split into four pots for the group stage draw: Australia, Japan, and the DPRK in Pot 1; Vietnam, China, and the RoK in Pot 2; the Philippines, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan in Pot 3; and Iran, India, and Bangladesh in Pot 4.
They will form three groups of four, playing a single round-robin format. The top two from each group, plus the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
The top six, comprising the four semifinalists and two winners of playoff matches among quarterfinal losers, will secure direct World Cup berths. The seventh-and eighth-placed teams will compete in a FIFA-run intercontinental playoff.
The Vietnam women's team is training in the northern province of Quang Ninh ahead of the 2025 AFF Women’s Championship, set to start in early August./.
