My First World Cup: What to expect from the Philippines and Vietnam
With the Women’s World Cup expanding to 32 teams for the first time ever in 2023, it is little surprise that there will be as many as eight teams taking part in the world’s premier international competition for the very first time in Australia and New Zealand. Here, The Sports Gazette assesses what can be expected from the Philippines and Vietnam as they get set to compete at their first World Cup.
The Philippines
World Ranking: 46th
The progress the Philippines have made as a national team over the past few years cannot be understated. Having gone through regular spells of inactivity as a team and choosing not to participate in international competitions, they qualified for the AFC Asian Women’s Cup for the first time in 2018 and have rarely looked back.
A project to identify overseas players with Philippino heritage was launched, improving the standard of the team and encouraging former Australia boss Alen Stajcic to take the reins as boss in 2021. His first tournament in charge saw the Philippines reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and earn themselves a place at the World Cup in the process.
They arrive in Australia and New Zealand in the top 50 of the World Rankings for the first time ever. Having played 26 international fixtures since the end of their Asian Cup adventure in February 2022, they have had more preparation than most of their opponents for this tournament.
Manager: Alen Stajcic
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Although the Philippines are making their World Cup debut, the man in charge has previous experience to turn to. He led Australia to a first-ever knockout round win, against Brazil in the 2015 World Cup in Canada, and was set to be in charge for a second attempt in 2019.
However, Stajcic was dismissed following an internal review just months before the tournament. The exact reasoning behind his sacking has never been made clear, with the 49-year-old saying it left his career in tatters and his reputation ruined. Showing his former employers what they are missing in a tournament they are co-hosting could act as ample motivation to progress from Group A.
Key Player: Sarina Bolden
California-born Bolden is one of the players who were identified by the decision to widen the scouting pool. Picked out at a Florida training camp in 2017, the forward ended up scoring a late winner on her debut at the Asian Cup the following year.
She has since scored 21 times in her 36 caps. The crucial moment in qualification also belonged to Bolden, as she slotted home the winning penalty against Chinese Taipei in the quarter-final of last year’s Asian Cup.
Group and Fixtures: Group A
21st July 7pm – Switzerland (Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin)
25th July 5.30pm – New Zealand (Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington)
30th July 7pm – Norway (Eden Park, Auckland)
Whilst Group A perhaps lacks a bonafide world superpower with none of the four sides in the top 10 of the World Rankings, it will still be a tough ask for the Philippines to continue their recent success at international level. They were defeated in a friendly against co-hosts New Zealand last year, and a deadly Norwegian attack could pose plenty of problems in the final group fixture.
Vietnam
World Ranking: 32nd
Having played their first match as a team as recently as 1997, qualification for this World Cup should be seen as a landmark moment for women’s football in Vietnam. They have established themselves as a dominant force in Southeast Asian football in the first two decades of the 2000’s, and were only denied a place at the 2015 World Cup by a playoff defeat to perennial rivals Thailand.
Vietnam’s moment finally came after they beat both Thailand and Chinese Taipei in a 2022 qualification tournament. This was followed by calls to make the domestic women’s league professional as advocates for football in the country hope World Cup participation can become a regular occurrence.
They travel to Australia and New Zealand in good form, having won the Southeast Asian Games in May. However, a daunting group stage draw means their first experience of the World Cup will see them take on both the Netherlands and four-time world champions the USA.
Manager: Mai Duc Chung
Now in his fourth spell as manager of the team, Vietnam could hardly have a more experienced leader to guide them at this World Cup. Chung has been in charge for six of the eight gold medals that the side have won at the Southeast Asian Games over the past two decades.
After initially indicating he would step aside to allow a foreign coach with greater major tournament experience to guide the team at the World Cup, a change of heart means that Chung will take his rightful place in the Vietnamese technical area in Australia and New Zealand.
Key Player: Huynh Nhu
Nhu is the only current female Vietnamese international to play her club football abroad and is the team’s focal point as captain and record goalscorer.
Having represented Portuguese side Vilaverdense since 2022, the striker will be hoping to add to her remarkable international scoring record of 67 strikes in 72 appearances at the World Cup.
Group and Fixtures: Group E
22nd July 1pm – USA (Eden Park, Auckland)
27th July 7.30pm – Portugal (Waikato Stadium, Hamilton)
1st August 7pm – Netherlands (Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin)
The group stage has done the first-time qualifiers few favours but facing the USA in their opening game should serve as recognition in itself for what Vietnam have achieved in qualifying for a World Cup.
