World Cup’s slot allocation brings extra challenge for Vietnam

FIFA has increased the total number of participating countries from 24 to 32 for the 2023 version of the global football tournament.

In line with the changes, Asia will see six teams progress to the finals of the competition, including one slot for hosts Australia.

Whilst teams such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Japan and China seem not to have archrivals in their quest for the final round, FIFA’s decision presents an extra challenge for the Vietnamese women’s team.

A ten-team play-off tournament is set to decide the final three spots at the Women's World Cup, with only two teams from Asia competing in the play-offs, making it even more difficult for the Vietnamese team to progress.

In the past the Vietnamese women’s team missed out on the chance to play at the two most recent Women’s World Cups, while Thailand have twice consecutively played in the global tournament.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is scheduled to take place between July 10 and August 20, 2023, in both Australia and New Zealand.

Following is the slot allocation as approved by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on December 24:

Asia: five slots + one host slot for Australia

Africa: four slots

North America, Central America and the Caribbean: four slots

South America: three slots

Oceania: 0 slots + one host slot for New Zealand

Europe: 11 slots

Play-off tournament: three slots