Vietnam faces tough competition in the upcoming 2024 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup as they have been placed in a challenging group. The draw, announced by the Asian Football Confederation, revealed that Vietnam will be up against defending champions Japan, second runners-up Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and 2006 champions China.
It is no secret that these three teams are considered Asian powerhouses, which makes it a daunting task for Vietnam. In a recent tournament, the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Hangzhou, China, Japan convincingly outperformed Vietnam, even though they fielded many U20 players, and went on to claim victory.
Despite China experiencing a decline in strength, they still possess the ability to compete with Japan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for one of the two qualifying spots from the group. These spots would secure their participation in the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
In the other group, Uzbekistan, the host nation, will be facing the Republic of Korea, Australia, and Chinese Taipei.
A total of eight teams will be participating in the 11th U20 Women’s Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan from March 3 to 16. The top four teams from the tournament will earn the opportunity to represent the AFC in the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.