Vietnam Women's National Team's Group Stage Situation: Quarter-Final Ticket Still Within Reach for Coach Mai Duc Chung and His Team

After the first two matches, the situation in Group C of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Finals remains quite open. The Vietnam Women's National Team, currently ranked third, still has a chance to advance to the quarter-finals, even though their final opponent is the championship contender Japan.

Despite losing to Chinese Taipei, Vietnam's path to advancement remains bright

Currently, the Japan Women's National Team leads the group with 3 points after 1 match and a goal difference of +2 (2-0). Ranked second is the Chinese Taipei Women's National Team Chinese Taipei with 3 points after 2 matches, goal difference -1 (1-2). The Vietnam Women's National Team also has 3 points after 2 matches with a goal difference of 2-2 but is temporarily placed third due to losing to Chinese Taipei 0-1 in the direct encounter. Meanwhile, the India Women's National Team has no points after their opening match.

In the final match, the Vietnam Women's National Team will face Japan – one of the strong contenders for the championship. This is considered an extremely tough challenge for Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team. The likelihood of gaining points is not high when considering the comparative strength and caliber of the two teams.

Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei only has to face India – the team currently at the bottom of the group. If they secure a victory, Chinese Taipei is almost certain to secure the second position in the group. A draw could also help this team finish second in the group if Vietnam does not defeat Japan. The reason: the tournament prioritizes head-to-head results before goal difference, so if Chinese Taipei and Vietnam are tied on points, we would still rank below them.

According to the tournament format, the top two teams from each group along with the two best-performing third-placed teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. Currently, among the teams temporarily ranked third in the three groups, Vietnam holds the greatest advantage due to a superior goal difference compared to the remaining competitors. (2-2 compared to Philippines' 0-4, and Uzbekistan's 0-6).

This means that even if they cannot create a surprise against Japan and maintain their third-place position, the Vietnam Women's National Team still has a significant chance to participate in the quarter-finals if their goal difference is not severely impacted.

Notably, advancing as one of the two best third-placed teams could even bring a certain advantage. According to the tournament bracket, the second-placed teams from each group are likely to face strong opponents right from the quarter-finals, while the bracket for teams advancing as third-placed teams is considered more "manageable." Specifically, the second place in Group C will face the first place in Group B (China or North Korea), while the third-placed team from Group C will face the first place in Group A (Australia or South Korea)

Therefore, the realistic goal for the Vietnam Women's National Team in the final match could be to minimize goals conceded against Japan as much as possible, thereby maintaining their goal difference and preserving their advantage in the race for the quarter-final ticket as the best-performing third-placed team.