The National Championship must pause for two months to allow the Vietnam team to compete at ASIAD 2026

The Women's National Championship – Thai Son Bac Cup 2026 will take a break after the 10th round (August 3) and return on October 8, giving the Vietnam women's team the opportunity to concentrate.

The draw for the women's football event at ASIAD 2026, held at noon on July 23 in Nagoya, Japan, has brought a major challenge for the Vietnam women's team. As a result, coach Hoang Van Phuc's squad is placed in Group A alongside host Japan, Taiwan (China), and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Group B consists of South Korea, North Korea, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Group C includes China, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Hong Kong (China). The Vietnamese women's team will have to compete fiercely with Thailand and Taiwan, while also facing title contender Japan.

To prepare for the continental tournament, the Women's National Championship – Thai Son Bac Cup 2026 will pause after round 10 (August 3) and return on October 8, allowing the women's team to concentrate. Coach Hoang Van Phuc has been continuously monitoring domestic league matches to select the best roster for the ASIAD campaign.

The best achievement of Vietnamese women's football at the Asian Games was reaching the semifinals of ASIAD 2014. At that time, the team made history before being eliminated after a 0-3 loss to none other than Japan. Therefore, the journey at ASIAD 2026 promises many challenges, but also an opportunity for the Vietnamese women's team to assert their position against top continental opponents.

Before the draw, the Vietnam women's team was placed in Pot 3. Thanks to their performance at the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, along with Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. Pot 1 consists of Japan, China, and South Korea. Pot 2 includes North Korea, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei, while Myanmar, Thailand, and Hong Kong (China) are in Pot 4. This year's tournament features 12 teams divided into 3 groups of 4. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinals. According to regulations, host Japan was defaulted into Group A before the draw for the remaining teams.

ASIAD 2026 will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, with the women's football event starting on September 14 and ending on October 2. The President of the Vietnam Football Federation, Tran Quoc Tuan, who is also a member of the AFC Executive Committee and Chairman of the AFC Competitions Committee, was assigned by the AFC to serve as the Head of the Men's Football Operations Committee at ASIAD 2026 and directly attended the draw ceremony in Nagoya.