Vietnam's World Cup path unexpectedly brighter than ever

North Korea's 3-0 and China's 2-0 wins in Group B of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup offer a considerable edge for the Vietnamese women's team in the quest for a quarterfinal berth and further, for the 2027 World Cup qualification.

On the opening day of Group B in the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, the seeded teams demonstrated absolute dominance, thereby indirectly supporting the plans of coach Mai Duc Chung and his squad.

In the early match, North Korea marked their return to the continental stage after 16 years with a convincing 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan. Forward Myong Yu-jong became the standout star by scoring a hat-trick in the first half alone. Meanwhile, China also comfortably overcame Bangladesh with a 2-0 scoreline thanks to goals from Wang Shuang and Zhang Rui.

With their overwhelming strength, North Korea and China have virtually secured the top two positions in Group B. This forces the remaining teams into a fierce battle for the best third-place spot.

The format of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup stipulates that the top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. Uzbekistan's heavy 0-3 defeat and Bangladesh's 0-2 loss have left the goal differences of these direct competitors deeply in negative territory early on.

In Group C, Japan is predicted to claim the top position. The Vietnamese women's team will compete for second place in the group with India and Chinese Taipei. Even in a scenario where they cannot secure second place, coach Mai Duc Chung's team still holds a major advantage to advance as one of the two best third-placed teams.

With just a positive result against India and a limited loss against Japan, Vietnam's goal difference will be far more favorable compared to representatives from Group B or Group A.

Advancing to the Asian Cup quarterfinals is the key to unlocking the door to the 2027 Women's World Cup. With rivals from other groups suffering heavy defeats early on, the pressure on goal difference for the Vietnamese women's team has been significantly reduced.

At 18:00 today (March 4th), the Vietnamese women's team will begin their campaign against host nation India. A victory, or even a draw with goals, will solidify Vietnam's position among the teams competing for advancement, fully capitalizing on the weakened goal difference of teams in Group B.