Coach Mai Duc Chung breathed a sigh of relief after the draw as his students will only play underdogs, except for Myanmar - the main challenge for Vietnam to vie for the top position in Group B. In the most recent international tournament, Huynh Nhu scored the only goal to help Vietnam trounce Myanmar in the semi-final match at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).
Meanwhile, Group A is considered the group of death as Thailand will play the hosts Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia. Thailand won a silver medal at the recent 31st SEA Games while the Philippines secured a ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Australia, 12th in the FIFA women’s football rankings, are set to progress out of the group stage. The AFF Women’s Championship 2022 will take place in the Philippines from July 4-17, with the participation of a record 11 teams. Vietnam are current champions after defeating Thailand in the finals of the AFF Cup 2019./.
