Asian Futsal Championship 2026 Draw: Vietnam in the same group as Thailand

On the afternoon of November 5th in Jakarta, the draw for the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship Finals placed the Vietnamese futsal team in Group B alongside Thailand (the reigning runner-up), Kuwait, and Lebanon. This is considered a very difficult group, but it still offers a chance for coach Diego Giustozzi's team to compete for a quarter-final spot.

Group B: The "Group of Death" and the chance to advance.

According to the draw results, Vietnam will face three formidable opponents in the region: Thailand (the reigning continental runner-up), Kuwait, and Lebanon. Given this situation, every point in the group stage is crucial for Vietnam's goal of securing one of the top two positions to advance to the quarterfinals.

According to the FIFA men's futsal rankings published on August 29, 2025, Vietnam is ranked 26th in the world and belongs to seed group 2. This position underscores the team's current competitiveness and reinforces their goal of advancing in a tough group.

Current position and memories of the 2016 semi-final.

Vietnamese futsal is no stranger to the continental stage. Reaching the semi-finals in 2016, thus securing their first-ever qualification for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, remains a crucial source of experience. Coupled with the emergence of new young talents in recent years, the team is expected to continue making its mark at the 2026 tournament.

Tournament format and schedule

The 2026 AFC Futsal Championship will take place in Jakarta from January 27th to February 7th, 2026, bringing together the 16 strongest teams in the continent. The teams are divided into 4 groups, playing a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, followed by a knockout tournament to determine the champion.

Vietnam's futsal team's preparation plan.

The team is currently actively preparing for the 33rd SEA Games, with 20 of its best-performing players called up. After the Southeast Asian Games, the focus will shift to the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship.

According to the plan, the team will either have a high-quality international friendly match with a top Asian futsal team, or travel to Indonesia a week early for training and practice matches. The goal is to finalize preparations before entering the crucial group stage matches.

Group 2 seeds according to the FIFA rankings as of August 29, 2025

Being included in the second seed group shows the positive assessment of Vietnamese futsal before the tournament begins, and also adds significance to the matches in the group stage.