Vietnam U17 women's team aims to top the group in Asian qualifiers

The Vietnam U17 women's squad began their training camp on August 17 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, commencing a roughly seven-week preparation period for the 2027 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers.

Under the guidance of coach Masahiko Okiyama, the Vietnam U17 women's team aims to win the group to secure a spot in the 2027 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup finals.

In this training camp, the coaching staff is giving opportunities to many promising young players. Besides the 2010-born players who performed well in domestic tournaments, the team also includes several 2012-born players who impressed at the 2026 National U16 Women's Football Championship.

Coach Masahiko Okiyama believes that training early in the national team environment will help young players gain experience, improve their skills, and gradually adapt to the demands of high-level football.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U17 women's team will train for three weeks at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, focusing on improving physical fitness, individual techniques, and building a collective playing style.

After this phase, the team is expected to travel to Japan for about 12 days of training and play four friendly matches. This is considered an important test for the coaching staff to evaluate the squad and try out tactical options before the qualifiers.

After the training camp in Japan, the team will return to Hanoi for about another week of training before finalizing the 23-player roster.

In the final stage, coach Masahiko Okiyama and his players will move to Ba Ria - Vung Tau about a week before the tournament to get used to the weather, pitch conditions, and complete final preparations.

In the 2027 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam is in the same group as Palestine, Northern Mariana Islands, and Kyrgyzstan.

Coach Masahiko Okiyama stated that women's youth football in Asia is developing strongly, so the Vietnam U17 women's team cannot be complacent against any opponent. The coaching staff has collected footage of Palestine's matches at the West Asian U17 Women's Championship held in July for study and analysis.

For Northern Mariana Islands and Kyrgyzstan, the coaching staff will continue to monitor them to develop appropriate plans for each match.

"The goal of the Vietnam U17 women's team is to finish first in the group," emphasized coach Masahiko Okiyama.

In addition to professional aspects, the Japanese coach also pays special attention to building a sense of responsibility among the young players, especially those who are wearing the national team jersey for the first time.

The Vietnam U17 women's team aims for an active, ball-possessing style and control of the game. The coaching staff also requires the players to continuously improve the intensity and quality of training, from passes and ball handling to decision-making.

According to coach Masahiko Okiyama, maintaining high standards in every training session will be the foundation for players to improve and help the Vietnam U17 women's team prepare best for the goal of qualifying for the 2027 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup finals.