Football 

HCM CITY — Đoàn Thị Kim Chi has strengthened her squad with three new foreign players who are expected to help HCM City FC fly higher in the AFC Women's Champions League 2026.

HCM City will take on Naegohyang FC of North Korea in the tournament's quarter-final round on March 28 in Lao National Stadium.

In preparation for the game, Chi signed Brazilian forward Joelma Alves Gabriel, Jamaican-Canadian midfielder Israela Alicia Groves, who will enhance the front line, and American defender Rielly Chesna Marie to reinforce the back line.

Gabriel, 1.70m, has good speed and a skilful technique. She competed in the Brazilian league for Cruzeiro and Fluminense. The 30-year-old then moved to play in Macedonia and Malta before coming to Việt Nam. She will share the task of scoring goals with top national scorer Huỳnh Như.

Groves, 1.78m, was daughter of former Harbour View FC and Jamaican national team legend Hubert 'Junior' Groves. At age 27 she played in leagues in Portugal, France and UK, as well as two matches with the Jamaican national team at the Gold Cup qualification in 2024. Groves will play midfield along with local player Trần Thị Thu Xuân, who recently left the Việt Nam Coal and Minerals FC to join HCM City.

Marie, 1.68m, is young at age 22, but her talent is appreciated, as she is known as an iron wall in front of the goal.

Currently, HCM City are home to four foreigners. The last one is Tunisian defender Ouni Samia, who has worked with the team since qualifiers.

HCM City FC qualified for the last eight round as the second-place club in Group A. Last season they took the tournament by surprise, finishing second after losing 0-2 to Wuhan Jiangda of China, the team that later took the trophy home, in the semi-finals.

Naegohyang are said to be tough rivals, with five national team members who just entered the top eight at the Asian Cup 2026 in Australia.

They made a strong impression from the qualifying round, demonstrating superior strength by scoring 23 goals and conceding none to qualify for the group stage. Naegohyang also advanced to the quarter-finals as Group C's second-place squad. — VNS