​From World Cup 2023, thinking about World Cup 2027 of Vietnamese women's football

1. The fact that the Vietnamese women's team lost all three group stage matches of the 2023 World Cup and did not score a goal is not surprising. We even had some commendable matches, such as against the US women's team (0-3) and Portugal women's team (0-2).

Vietnamese women's football can see the 2023 World Cup as a big boost for long-term development

But how to return to this playground is not simple. In fact, the fact that Southeast Asian representatives participated in the Women's World Cup finals 3 times recently (Thailand 2015, 2019, Vietnam, Philippines 2023) largely stemmed from the fact that "big sister" North Korea was banned from competing. But in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers, this team will return, and the journey to find a ticket to the finals will certainly not be easy.

For the Vietnamese women's team, it will also be the time for the golden generation of Thuy Trang, Kim Thanh, Tuyet Dung, Huynh Nhu, and possibly Chuong Thi Kieu to say goodbye. The mission of finding a ticket to the final round will be given to Thanh Nha, Ngan Thi Van Su, Vu Thi Hoa, ... as well as the U19 Vietnam team that just finished second in the U19 Women's Southeast Asian Championship. But generational transition always has difficulties. Meanwhile, right in the Southeast Asian region, the rise of the Philippines (with abundant resources from overseas Filipino players) has been a big challenge for the Vietnamese women's team, let alone reaching out to the continent and the world. In the last two encounters with this team, we lost both times.

But the road to the World Cup for Vietnamese women's football still seems easier than for men's football. And so, we need to turn the 2023 Women's World Cup into a boost for further progress. The question is how?

2. 25 years ago, the late coach Alfred Riedl once said: "Vietnamese football builds a house from the roof up". The problem of Vietnamese football at that time was that it did not develop from the bottom up but focused on the achievements of the national team down to evaluate success.

Vietnamese men's football now pays more attention to youth training, the National Championship has been professional for more than 20 years, and has partly created a foundation for development, as well as reaped certain achievements. But women's football has not. The National Women's Football Championship has only 7 teams, no promotion or relegation (for comparison, the Thai Women's Championship has two divisions). Of course, such a tournament is less competitive and choosing potential players for the national team is no different from comparing chopsticks to choose a flagpole.

The problems of Vietnamese women's football are probably obvious to many people, but finding a solution is still really difficult. We praise female players for their achievements in the World Cup, but very few people support the players by filling the stands at the national championship. The consequence of low audience, low interest in the tournament is that sponsors are not enthusiastic, and the lack of operating funds causes many teams to disband (Son La women's football team is a proof).

Vietnamese women's football needs a long-term roadmap, a fundamental plan, dedicated sponsors, and of course the support of fans. So that the World Cup is not just a dream, but a goal that is within our capabilities!

According to Thethaovanhoa.vn