Vietnam to face Thailand, China at Futsal Asian Cup

Thailand are considered the strongest team in group A, ranking 26th in the world and fourth in Asia, followed by Vietnam (38th), Myanmar (78th) and China (85th).

Thailand’s best performance in Futsal Asian Cup is runner-up in 2008 and 2012, Vietnam finished fourth in 2016, China fourth in 2008 and 2010, and Myanmar have never got past the group stage. In the most recent edition in 2022, Thailand ranked fourth, Vietnam reached the quarterfinals while Myanmar and China did not participate.

The Futsal Asian Cup had 16 editions, with Iran winning 12 times and Japan four times. Japan are the defending champion after defeating Iran 3-2 in the 2022 final.

The 2024 edition takes place from April 17 to 28, with 16 teams divided into four groups. The top two teams of each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The four semifinalists will qualify for the 2024 Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan. If Uzbekistan enter the Futsal Asian Cup semifinals, the four losing teams in the quarterfinals will compete in a play-off round to compete for the remaining ticket to the World Cup.

In the past, Vietnam have never won against Thailand when the opponent had the strongest squad. However, Vietnam are stronger than Myanmar and China, so the team have a high chance to take the second place of group A.

Vietnam’s goal is to qualify for the 2024 World Cup for the third time in a row. The team will gather in March 2024 before attending a international futsal tournament at home, expectedly with New Zealand, Morocco and an Asian team. After that, coach Diego Giustozzi and his team will go to Thailand for training and preparation.