Futsal 

Vietnamese players in their training session in Indonesia. They will play Kuwait in the Group B's first match on January 27 in Jakarta. — Photos courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI —  A focused Việt Nam are ready to kick off their AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 campaign against Kuwait in the opening Group B match on January 27 in Jakarta.

In the other fixture, powerhouse Thailand will meet Lebanon at the Jakarta International Velodrome.

Việt Nam reached the quarter-finals at the 2024 edition and have progressed to the knock-out stage in four of their last five appearances. Head coach Diego Giustozzi believes his side can raise the bar this time.

“We want to win against everyone, and target to go past the group stage again,” said the Argentinian at the pre-match conference on January 26.

“Futsal in Việt Nam has progressed tremendously and, if we trust the process, we can achieve our goals here.

"We have eight new players with an average age of 23, and it will be difficult to find the right balance against Kuwait due to their lack of experience, but this is a more offensive-minded team and I believe in my players.”

Giustozzi said his players had been told to stay focused in every match because at continental level any team can beat another. As a result, if they are to get past the group stage, his side cannot afford to look beyond the opening game at this point.

Việt Nam enjoyed an impressive qualifying campaign, topping Group E with maximum points after scoring 20 goals and conceding just three in wins over Lebanon, China and Hong Kong China.

Nguyễn Thịnh Phát and Từ Minh Quang scored five and four goals respectively, with both included in the squad for Indonesia 2026.

Following his standout performances, Phát has been named a player to watch by the AFC.

"Phát shoulders the responsibility for a Việt Nam side seeking to finally break into the semi-final stage, having seen their last three appearances all end in the quarter-finals. The Thái Sơn Nam HCM City player will be confident after bagging five goals in the qualifiers," it reported.

Việt Nam head coach Diego Giustozzi (centre) and other coaches during the press conference ahead of their Group B actions.

On the other side, Kuwait failed to progress beyond the group stage in 2024 but remain seasoned contenders at the continental showpiece. They have reached the finals 13 times, with their best results coming in fourth-place finishes in 2003 and 2014.

“We are familiar with all our group opponents and have prepared accordingly,” said head coach Bruno Garcia. “Our team is a new generation, with some of the more experienced players taking on new roles and the newer players lacking experience.

“But we will look to dominate the situation against Việt Nam and in all our following matches.”

Kuwait narrowly missed out on direct qualification as Group A winners after a 2-2 draw with Australia in their final group match, which allowed the latter to finish top on superior goal difference.

Saleh Alfadhel and Abdulaziz Alsarraj, who scored four goals apiece in the qualifiers, will be key figures as Kuwait set their sights on a first Asian title.

This marks their third consecutive finals appearance, following an absence from the 2016 and 2018 tournaments after a run of 11 straight participations.

Việt Nam will face Lebanon next on January 29 before meeting Thailand two days later. — VNS