Vietnam prepares best squad for 2024 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup

The Vietnam U20 women's football team before going to Uzbekistan for the U20 Women's Asian Cup on Feb. 21, 2024. Photo by VFF

According to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), coach Akira Ijiri and his players departed on Sept. 21 from Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport.

With the early departure, the squad will have more time to acclimatize to the weather conditions and competition in Tashkent, especially given the city’s current below-10-degree-Celsius temperature and heavy snow.

On the afternoon of Feb. 20, a list of 25 players traveling to Uzbekistan were announced. While in the central Asian nation, they are planning to participate in two friendly matches against the host team.

The cup will see eight teams competing in a round-robin format, with the top two from group A and B advancing to the semi-finals. Vietnam are in Group B, where they will face defending champions Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and China. In Group A, hosts Uzbekistan will compete against the Republic of Korea, Australia, and Chinese Taipei.

The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2024 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in Colombia as the AFC representatives.