SHOCKING: FIFA World Cup overshadowed by SEA Games in Thailand

The FIFA World Cup tournament, held in Southeast Asia for the first time, unexpectedly faded into the background due to the excitement around SEA Games 33.

For the first time ever, FIFA organized a Women's Futsal World Cup, and notably, the event took place right here in Southeast Asia. Despite reaching a critical phase, this global competition failed to generate the expected media buzz. The overwhelming popularity of SEA Games 33 in the region caused the Women's Futsal World Cup to become overshadowed, even though the level of play was impressive.

The scheduling conflict forced many regional teams to make tough decisions. Most notably, Thailand and the Philippines, the two Southeast Asian representatives at the Women's Futsal World Cup held in Pasig (Philippines), both chose to "withdraw" early to focus their efforts on SEA Games, where women's futsal was seen as a clearer medal opportunity.

Thailand, having qualified through the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, ended their campaign after just three group stage matches and immediately returned to prepare for the SEA Games. Host nation Philippines fared no better, suffering three defeats and quickly shifting focus to contesting medals at the SEA Games in Thailand, the host of this year's Southeast Asian Games.

The skill gap between Southeast Asian women's futsal and the world remains significant. This was evident in the qualifiers when Vietnam, despite thorough preparation, missed out on their first World Cup appearance after losing to Japan in the quarterfinals of the 2025 AFC Women's Futsal Championship in May. Ultimately, only Thailand qualified from the region, while the Philippines participated as hosts.

Back at SEA Games 33, Thailand naturally emerged as the top contender for the women's futsal gold medal. However, they still have to be wary of the rapidly improving Philippines team, and Vietnam's squad, who defeated Thailand in last year's Southeast Asian final. Therefore, the competition at SEA Games is expected to be extremely intense, drawing all the attention of Southeast Asian media instead of the Women's Futsal World Cup.

After five days of training in Hangzhou (China), the Vietnam women's futsal team returned to Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of December 3 to continue finalizing their lineup. The head coach will finalize the squad by December 10 before heading to SEA Games 33, aiming to repeat their previous success against Thailand.

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