Futsal

Players compete in the National Futsal Cup in 2023. The 2024 season will be held in December. Photos of VFF

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) will organise four national futsal tournaments with the national team taking part in four international competitions this year.

VFF General Secretary Dương Nghiệp Khôi has signed a new plan for the national activities following changes to international schedules.

Khôi said it was changed to give clubs and national teams the best possible conditions and time to have comfortable preparation for competitions.

Accordingly, the men's and women's futsal tournament of the Asian Indoor Games will be held in November instead of February as it was planned while the Southeast Asian Futsal Championship is taking place in May.

The national teams will compete in the Asian championship from April 17-28; regional championship from May 11-19 and the Asian Indoor Games in November.

Based on the international competition time table, the National Futsal Championship will be organised in two periods from February 22 to March 7 and June 1 to July 31. Previously it was planned from May 14 to August 10.

The championship will feature eight clubs than can each register one foreigner and one Vietnamese overseas player.

In the three-month break between two periods, the men's team will train and compete in the Asian championship, which is the Futsal World Cup 2024's qualifier, and the regional event.

The National U20 Futsal Championship will begin in August while the National Futsal Cup will begin in December.

The last local event is the National Women's Futsal Championship will be held on September 6-25.

The national futsal team target a place in the Asian championship's semi-finals and qualify for the 2024 World Cup.

Internationally, the national men's team will have friendly matches with two world top 10 teams in preparation for the Asian championship and World Cup later this year.

The VFF plans to invite Iran, Morocco and New Zealand to an international four-side tournament in March in HCM City. The event is considered a warm up for teams ahead of the Asian championship.

World No 7 Iran are one of the continental top teams. They were World Cup's third team in 2016 and in top eight in the previous edition.

In the latest meet between Việt Nam, world No 38, and Iran, the visiting side won 8-1 in the 2022 Asian championship's quarter-finals.

Both Việt Nam and Iran target the Thailand's 2024 Asian championship's top four to earn their spots at the 2024 Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan in September.

Morocco are world No 8 and No 1 in Africa while New Zealand place No 49 in the world and are the only representative of the Oceania Football Confederation at the upcoming World Cup.

Four teams will compete in round robin format and the one with highest points will take the trophy.

“In 2023, my players improved a lot compared to 2022, individually and collectively," said head coach Diego Raul Giustozzi.

"I have researched each player's position and ability to have a current team which in the future can confidently compete with every opponents including those rank above us. I am extremely excited about my goals for 2024." VNS