A draw at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s headquarters in Malaysia on Thursday placed Vietnam in Group C of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, alongside Japan, South Korea, and Myanmar.

Vietnam, placing 32nd in the FIFA charts, are the third-highest ranked side in Group C, behind Japan, 13th in the world rankings, and South Korea, ranked 18th, and ahead of Myanmar, who are ranked 46th.

The tournament is scheduled to take place in India from January 20 to February 6, 2022.

The Vietnamese women will meet South Korea on January 22, Japan on January 25, and Myanmar on January 28.

Speaking to the press after Thursday’s draw, Vietnam’s head coach Mai Duc Chung said that Group C is challenging for his players.

“Each of the coming matches will be considered as a final for the Vietnamese women’s team,” Chung said. 

“Japan and South Korea are the leading football teams in Asia and they play at a level that is superior to Vietnam’s.”

However, the head coach seemed determined to pull off victories in the tournament.

“In football, it is impossible to predict anything,” he added.

“If we play well, we will have good results.”

For the first time in history, the Women’s Asian Cup has expanded from eight teams to twelve. 

Group A includes India, mainland China, Taiwan, and Iran while Group B includes Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia.

After the group stage, the top eight squads will advance to the quarterfinals.

The tourney will also serve as the final stage of the Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the top five teams advancing directly while two more teams will book places in the inter-confederation play-offs.

A World Cup spot is also the target coach Chung has set for his players, according to his remarks on Thursday.

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