FIFA invites Indonesia and Thailand to a new tournament, Vietnam's national team unexpectedly absent

Thailand and Indonesia surprisingly receive invitations to participate in the FIFA Women's Series 2026, while the Vietnamese women's team is absent due to a packed schedule. The tournament marks FIFA's new step in developing global women's football.

The FIFA Women's Series 2026 tournament is attracting attention in regional football as it is the first time the world football federation has implemented it specifically for women's national teams. In this context, the participation of Thailand and Indonesia becomes a notable highlight, especially as this is a rare opportunity for Southeast Asian teams to compete with intercontinental opponents.

FIFA Series is FIFA's initiative to create additional international playing opportunities outside the official competition system, helping national teams improve their level through facing different football backgrounds. After two seasons for men, the women's version in 2026 marks a new step in this organization's global women's football development strategy.

In the Southeast Asia region, Thailand not only participates but is also granted the hosting rights for one group. Initially, this group included New Caledonia, Congo, and Nepal. However, after Nepal withdrew, Indonesia was selected as a replacement. This inadvertently creates intra-regional competition as two ASEAN representatives share a group with opponents from other continents.

The competition format in Thailand's group also features high competitiveness by adopting a semifinal-final model. Accordingly, the host team will face New Caledonia, while Indonesia confronts Congo in the two semifinals. The winning teams will advance to the final to compete for the championship, and the losing teams will play a match for third place.

While Thailand and Indonesia have the opportunity to showcase themselves in the new tournament, the Vietnamese women's national team is not present. The main reason stems from the team's packed schedule, having just participated in the Women's Asian Cup 2026 in March. Prioritizing official competitions prevents the team from arranging resources to participate in an experimental friendly tournament like the FIFA Series.

Moreover, many key Vietnamese players continue to compete at the club level, especially in the continental quarter-finals with Ho Chi Minh City Club. Shortly thereafter, domestic tournaments like the Women's National Cup are also about to commence, making the time frame even more limited. In this context, absence from the FIFA Women's Series 2026 is considered a strategic choice, though it somewhat disappoints fans who miss the chance for international competition.