Vietnam team competes with China and Lebanon: Competition for Asian futsal tickets

From September 20, the Vietnamese team will embark on the journey to conquer a ticket to the 2026 Asian futsal finals with teams from Hong Kong, China and Lebanon.

Vietnam team's schedule in the 2026 Asian futsal qualifiers

In the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship qualifiers, the Vietnamese team is in Group E with Hong Kong, China and Lebanon. All matches of Group E are held in Hangzhou, China. According to the schedule, coach Diego Giustozzi and his team will face the Hong Kong team in the opening match at 2:30 p.m. on September 20 (Vietnam time). Next, the Golden Star team will meet China at 6:30 p.m. on September 22 (Vietnam time). In the final match of the qualifiers, the Vietnamese team will face Lebanon at 2:30 p.m. on September 24 (Vietnam time).

The 2026 Asian Futsal Qualifiers have 31 participating teams, divided into 8 groups (7 groups of 4 teams, 1 group of 3 teams). The teams play a round robin to calculate points and rank. The 8 group winners and 7 best second-placed teams, along with host Indonesia, will compete in the 2026 Asian Futsal Finals taking place early next year in the archipelago.

Vietnam team's schedule in the 2026 Asian futsal qualifiers

PHOTO: VFF

Evaluating the opponents in the same group, head coach Diego Giustozzi commented: "The opponents of the Vietnamese team are getting stronger and stronger. China is playing at home, so there will be a large number of fans. Lebanon is a good team. The Vietnamese futsal team is in a difficult group."

Currently, the Vietnamese team is training at the Linping Sports Complex. With a location only about 10 minutes away from the hotel, the training and living conditions of Coach Giustozzi and his team are guaranteed to be favorable.

Head of delegation Tran Anh Minh said that the Linping Sports Complex is a modern complex with a large-scale infrastructure system, including 2 futsal courts, 1 grass field and many multi-purpose gymnasiums for sports such as badminton, volleyball, basketball, etc. This is considered one of the typical sports centers of the host country China, providing high-quality training conditions for the teams participating in the tournament.

The goal of head coach Giustozzi (left) and his students is to win tickets to the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship.

PHOTO: VFF

In the journey to prepare for the 2026 Asian Futsal Qualifiers, Head Coach Diego Giustozzi not only focused on building the optimal squad but also received strong support from a team of experienced assistants. Notably, Coach Nguyen Tuan Anh, who was associated with Sahako Club during a successful period with 3 national runner-up positions (2019, 2020, 2021) and the championship in 2022, before moving to lead Thai Son Nam TP.HCM and consecutively won the national championship in 2024 and 2025.

In addition, Spanish goalkeeper coach Javier Arrivi Laureiro, who worked with coach Diego Giustozzi at ElPozo Murcia (a top Spanish team), also brings quality to the coaching staff.

Regarding the squad for the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship qualifiers, in addition to experienced veterans, the Vietnamese team also possesses a squad of talented young players, promising to create a new momentum: Nhan Gia Hung, Dinh Cong Vien (born in 2002); Vu Ngoc Anh (2004); Nguyen Da Hai, Trinh Cong Dai, Luu Thanh Bao (2005); Tran Quang Nguyen (2006). This is the next generation expected to mature quickly through international competition.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-so-tai-trung-quoc-li-bang-tranh-ve-futsal-chau-a-185250919112017676.htm