Ho Chi Minh City, 4 Oct 2026 – Vietnam U17 Women are targeting top spot in their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 qualifying group despite fielding a youthful squad that includes several players born in 2012, head coach Okiyama Masahiko has said.
Group D of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers will be staged at Ba Ria Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, with Vietnam competing alongside Kyrgyz Republic, Palestine and Northern Mariana Islands. Only the group winners will secure a place at next year’s final tournament in China, putting additional importance on every match. After seven weeks of preparation, including an overseas training camp in Japan, hosts Vietnam have made finishing first and qualifying for the continental finals their clear objective.
“We have had seven weeks of preparation, including a 12-day training camp in Japan. I would like to thank everyone involved for their support and for providing us with favourable conditions,” Okiyama said at the pre-tournament press conference. “We have focused on developing our technique, tactics and playing philosophy. The whole team has developed strong unity and an awareness of what it means to represent the national team as we aim to progress through the qualifiers.”
One of the notable features of Okiyama’s squad is the presence of several players born in 2012, meaning they are only around 14 years old. The Japanese coach believes their inclusion reflects the progress being made in developing the next generation of Vietnamese women’s football. “For this squad, we have added several players born in 2012 who have good technique, strong personalities and plenty of potential for the future. I have been working with the Vietnam Football Federation and the clubs to help train and develop them. These players have already demonstrated their ability at the National U16 Championship. That really shows that the talent development system in Vietnamese women’s football is gradually being built and improved. I expect them to continue developing and making further progress.”
Despite Vietnam’s ambitions, Okiyama warned his players against underestimating their opponents, particularly Palestine. “I do not have a lot of information about our opponents. However, Lebanon’s draw against Australia in a recent tournament shows that the level of West Asian football is improving quickly,” he said. “I expect Palestine U17 Women to be a well-organised team. Some of their players have pace, so we cannot afford to be complacent. The whole team must remain focused and perform at 100 percent.”
Captain Do Thi Ha Vi also highlighted the value of Vietnam’s training camp in Japan, where the squad had opportunities to test themselves against strong opposition. “We had a training camp in Japan and played against several very strong teams, which allowed us to learn many lessons,” Ha Vi said. “Our aim is to try to score at least one goal in every match. The team’s overall objective is to finish first in the group and qualify for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027.”
Palestine, meanwhile, arrive in Vietnam following their own preparations and a run to the semi-finals of the West Asian U17 Women’s Championship. Head coach Anmar Jalayta said several new players had subsequently joined the squad and adapted well. Palestine also held a training camp in Jordan and played a number of friendly matches before travelling to Vietnam, although Jalayta revealed that preparations had been significantly affected by the war. “Because of the war, the team could not gather and train in one place, so we had to divide into several groups. The team had to train at three different locations,” he said. “The number of female players has improved considerably because women’s football is gradually gaining greater recognition in Palestine. However, many competitions have also been cancelled to ensure the safety of the young players.”
Vietnam will begin their qualifying campaign against Palestine on October 5, before facing Northern Mariana Islands on October 8 and Kyrgyz Republic on October 11. With only one qualification place available from Group D, Okiyama’s young side will need to make the most of home advantage as they pursue a place at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 in China.
VSN/RPT
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