New opportunities for Vietnamese women's football at the 2028 Olympics

Women's football at the 2028 Olympics will increase the number of participating teams to 16. (Photo: FIFA)

In an official announcement, FIFA welcomed the decision, affirming that it was the result of close cooperation with the IOC.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized: "FIFA has always believed in the power and potential of women's football. Increasing the number of teams participating in the Olympics means expanding opportunities and inspiring millions of sports lovers around the world."

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said FIFA has been working for many years to promote a greater presence of women's football at the Olympics. "This is an important step forward. However, we understand that there is still much work to be done to maximise the potential of women's football, from the technical and professional aspects to the legal framework," he said.

The expansion of participation at LA28 is a positive sign for Asian women's football. In the past, Japan, South Korea, China and Australia have been regular representatives at the Olympics.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying round, the Vietnamese women's team, despite excellently passing the first qualifying round, could not get a ticket to the final qualifying round - meaning they cannot participate in the Paris Olympics.

However, with LA28 having 16 women's teams competing (an increase of 4 teams compared to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics), the Asian region is expected to have 3 to 4 places to participate.

Although the door is still full of thorns, this is still a realistic opportunity for the Vietnamese women's team - the team that made history by participating in the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in 2023 - to continue to nurture the hope of participating in an official Olympic tournament.

Notably, to date, both Vietnamese men’s and women’s football teams have yet to qualify for the Olympic Games. With a very limited number of participating teams, competing for an Olympic ticket is considered by experts to be even more difficult than qualifying for the World Cup.

The resounding success of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, with the increase in teams from 24 to 32 - and 184 players having the opportunity to participate for the first time - has opened a new era for global women's football.

And with the historic decision from the IOC, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics promises to be another memorable milestone in the journey of women's football in the world - including the aspirations of Vietnamese women's football.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/co-hoi-moi-cho-bong-da-nu-viet-nam-tai-olympic-2028-20250411143304547.htm