Vietnam have qualified for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup™ after becoming the fifth and final team to book their ticket to Australia & New Zealand 2023 through the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Their place was sealed with a 2-1 victory over Chinese Taipei, who will now join Thailand – the other competitors in a repechage play-off series at the Asian finals – in competing at next year’s intercontinental play-offs.

China PR and Korea Republic, who will contest the Asian Cup final later today, had already qualified for the global finals along with beaten semi-finalists Japan and the Philippines, with Australia – eliminated in the last eight – guaranteed a spot as co-hosts.

Beaten 3-1 by China PR in the quarter-finals, having earlier lost out to Japan and Korea Republic in the group phase, Vietnam saved their best football at the continental showpiece for these play-off matches.

Having enjoyed a 2-0 win over Thailand – participants at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 – on Wednesday, only to see Chinese Taipei better that scoreline two days later, the Vietnamese went into today’s decisive match knowing that anything less than victory would see them fall short.

But they rose to that challenge, with goals from Chuong Thi Kieu and Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy securing a deserved and historic win in Navi Mumbai.