Vietnam faces yet another year of football mania with five international football events on the horizon for the men’s and women’s teams.
In 2020, Vietnam football is likely to reach fever pitch. First up is the 2020 AFC U23 Championship, which began on January 8 and runs until January 26. According to VnExpress, this tournament will also act as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Vietnam’s male team is also in the running to make it to the third round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup, a feat they’ve never achieved before. The bi-annual AFC U19 Championship will also take place in Uzbekistan from October 14 to 31, although easily the most hotly anticipated tournament of the year will be the 2020 AFF Cup. After their 2018 triumph, Vietnam is the defending champions, and the nation will be dreaming of repeating such great heights.
After winning the gold medal at the SEA Games, 2019 was a huge year for Vietnam’s women’s team. This win was, however, this latest in a long line of success for them at the event, as the team has now won six gold medals in the regional competition: 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017 and 2019. They’ll hope to replicate this success in the qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Much of the men’s team’s success has been attributed to coach Park Hang-seo. Since coming on board in late 2017, the South Korean coach has led the national team to new highs, most notably the team’s unbelievable performance at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship 2018, which saw them unexpectedly finish as the runner-up in the tournament.
The Vietnam Football Federation recently announced that they have renewed their contract with Park Hang-seo, who leads both the men's national football team and U-23 team.
The beloved coach’s current contract was due to expire in January this year. Under the new deal, Hang-seo will stay with the national team for three more years, starting from next month.
In December 2018, Vietnam’s impressive winning streak at the ongoing AFF Cup 2018 propelled the national men’s football team back into the top 100 teams in the world for the first time in seven years.
