Vietnam women’s team handed World Cup opportunity after DPRK withdrawal
VOV.VN - The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s withdrawal from the upcoming Asian qualifiers for the 2023 Women’s World Cup could mean that the Vietnamese women’s national football team have a better chance of securing a place in the competition.
This comes after the Asian Football Federation (AFC) recently confirmed the departure of the DPRK from the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers. Although no specific reason was given, reports by the Republic of Korea’s media indicate that the DPRK’s withdrawal is due to COVID-19 fears.
Moving forward, Group C of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will now only have three national teams, including Indonesia, Iraq, and Singapore.
The top six teams of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will go on to represent Asia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the withdrawal of the DPRK helping Vietnam to have a greater chance to secure a ticket to the global tournament.
Vietnam have been drawn in Group B of the regional qualifiers, alongside the Maldives, Afghanistan, and hosts Tajikistan.
The goal of the national team is to top Group B during the regional qualifiers, thereby progressing to the final round of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and securing a ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The team, led by head coach Mai Duc Chung, will compete in Asian qualifiers in Tajikistan between September 7 and October 12.
The best regional 12 teams will compete in the final round of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which is set to take place between January 20, 2022, and February 6, 2022, in India.
