Phu Tho province continues to host two international football tournaments

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), has held a conference to launch preparations for two upcoming international football tournaments in Phu Tho: the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup 2025 - AFF Women’s Championship and the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Head of the Organizing Committee for International Football Tournaments in Phu Tho province spoke at the conference.

At the conference, the Organizing Committee assigned specific tasks to each unit and member to ensure the tournaments will take place vibrantly, meeting all professional, technical, and infrastructure requirements, as well as the standards set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).

The AFF Women’s Championship will be held from August 6 to 19, 2025, at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho Province) and Lach Tray Stadium (Hai Phong City). Group B matches featuring Australia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste, along with the final Group A match between Indonesia and Cambodia, will be played at Viet Tri Stadium from August 7 to 13. All matches in Phu Tho will have free admission.

Viet Tri Stadium will continue to witness the vibrant atmosphere of a women’s football tournament at the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup 2025.

The AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers will take place from September 3 to September 9, 2025. The U23 Vietnam national team is in Group C, alongside U23 Yemen, U23 Singapore and U23 Bangladesh. All Group C matches will be held at Viet Tri Stadium.

This marks the second consecutive time the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers have been chosen to be hosted at Viet Tri Stadium. In this tournament, the presence of the reigning Southeast Asian champions, U23 Vietnam has garnered significant attention from fans. The Organizing Committee will soon finalize the ticket release plan for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers to inform the public.

Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team will play their opening match on September 3 against U23 Bangladesh, followed by a match against U23 Singapore on September 6, and conclude their group stage with a match against U23 Yemen on September 9.

In recent years, Phu Tho province has successfully organized many major international tournaments, notably men’s football at SEA Games 31 and the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 AFF Championship. The continued hosting of two major tournaments in less than a month affirms Phu Tho province’s capabilities and experience in organizing international tournaments. This is also an opportunity to widely promote the image of Phu Tho’s homeland and people to domestic and international audiences.

Huy Trần