Fans breathe a sigh of relief as Vietnam's futsal team avoids the 'group of death'

06/11/2025 09:35:00 ChampionChatter

Yesterday (November 5), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw for the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship group stage. Vietnam's futsal team was placed in a group with Thailand, Kuwait, and Lebanon. This group is considered suitable for Vietnam’s futsal team, giving Coach Diego Giustozzi and his players a chance to compete for the top spot.

"The group is fairly balanced among the seeded teams. In Vietnam’s group, it will mainly be a contest between us and Thailand for first place since the other two teams are not very strong. We also need to consider whether to finish first or second because the quarterfinal bracket includes Iraq. If we top Group B, we might face Iran in the semifinals.

Whichever path we choose will be challenging, so we must fight with all our strength depending on the actual situation. Indonesia has visibly grown stronger recently. Hopefully, Vietnam’s futsal team will perform according to their true ability.", shared Stevie Nguyen on Facebook.

"This group is the easiest possible. Lebanon and Kuwait are weaker than in previous years. Group A might look easier, but Indonesia is not necessarily an easy opponent because Iraq and Kyrgyzstan are tough teams. The last time Indonesia was in a group with a West or Central Asian team, they were eliminated.", said Hung Hoang on Facebook, believing Vietnam’s futsal team has drawn the easiest group.

"This group is the best. Thailand is no longer as strong as before. Kuwait and Lebanon are not threats to Vietnam’s futsal team." agreed Quach Duc Minh on Facebook.

"Based on the bracket and my prediction, Vietnam will finish second in Group B and face Indonesia, the winner of Group A, in the quarterfinals. If we overcome Indonesia, we will repeat the feat of 2016, when we beat Japan in the quarterfinals by penalty shootout to reach the semifinals and qualify for the World Cup for the first time.

Vietnamese fans are delighted with the positive result of the 2025 Asian Futsal Championship group draw. Photo: VFF

This time, our potential semifinal opponent is likely Japan. That would be the ideal scenario. But realistically, it will be very tough for Vietnam’s futsal team because Indonesia has progressed rapidly, and it will be difficult to defeat them if the two teams meet,", said Linh Bui, who highly praises Indonesia.

"Indonesia facing Iraq and Kyrgyzstan is tough; they won’t easily top the group. At best, Indonesia might defeat South Korea. But if they underestimate the other two teams, they could end up last in the group.", said Tim Nguyen Thanh, who believes Indonesia will struggle to get past the group stage.

"Don’t look too far ahead; just focus on beating Lebanon and Kuwait first before thinking about the long term. If we can’t win against those two teams, we might as well go home. We need to focus on each match one at a time,", commented Truong Hien Vu on Facebook.

"If we top the group, the quarterfinal and semifinal paths will be difficult. If we finish second, we can avoid meeting Iran early. However, Thailand will probably try to avoid Iran in the semifinals by fielding a younger squad against us. So, the match against Thailand looks like it will be intense.", said Thanh Quan Truong on Facebook, suggesting Thailand will also try to avoid Iran.

"If we beat Lebanon and Kuwait, the match against Thailand could be managed by rotating the squad and resting key players.", shared Hoai Vu on Facebook.

Vietnam’s futsal team is currently training in Ho Chi Minh City to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games and the Asian Futsal Championship finals. These are two competitions where Vietnam’s futsal team has high hopes.

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