Argentina's coach excludes 2 key members of Vietnam's team after the SEA Games

Coach Diego Giustozzi has revealed the squad list for Vietnam's futsal team ahead of the 2026 AFC Futsal Championship.

Coach Diego Giustozzi has officially named 19 players for the 2026 AFC Futsal Championship campaign, featuring significant changes in personnel. Most notably, two veterans are absent: Fixo Phạm Đức Hòa (withdrew due to injury) and Pivo Nguyễn Minh Trí (underperforming after a long recovery from surgery).

Although their absence leaves a big gap in experience, on the other hand, fans welcome back the return of the quality Ala trio: Trần Thái Huy, Châu Đoàn Phát, and Ngô Ngọc Sơn. The absence of these skilled wingers during SEA Games 33 was considered a main reason for the significant decline in the team’s attacking strength.

According to the plan, the entire team will gather in Ho Chi Minh City on January 2, 2026. To review the squad, Coach Giustozzi’s team will play two closed friendly matches against Afghanistan’s futsal team from January 18 to 20. Afterward, the final roster will be confirmed before the team departs for Indonesia on January 24. At the AFC Championship, Vietnam is placed in a very tough Group B alongside Thailand, Kuwait, and Lebanon. The team's match schedule is as follows: vs. Kuwait (January 27), Lebanon (January 29), and a rematch against Thailand (January 31).

The 2026 AFC Futsal Championship will take place from January 27 to February 7, 2026, in Jakarta, Indonesia. The tournament features the top 16 teams from the continent, divided into 4 groups, playing round-robin matches to determine the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.

This squad overhaul stems from strict professional assessments following their performance at SEA Games 33. Although Vietnam’s futsal team made history by defeating Indonesia (1-0) after six years of draws and losses, the opening day 2-4 defeat to Malaysia disrupted all plans.

Ultimately, Coach Giustozzi’s squad finished fourth due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Malaysia. The disappointing result in Thailand forced the coaching staff to make drastic changes both in personnel and tactics to prepare for the higher-level continental competition.