Accordingly, the qualifying matches for the 2026 ASEAN Cup will take place on June 2 and 9, respectively. The group stage matches will take place from July 24 to August 8, the semi-finals will take place from August 15, and the second leg of the final will take place on August 26. Thus, the group stage of the ASEAN Cup will take place immediately after the 2026 World Cup ends (from June 11 to July 19).

In recent years, the ASEAN Cup (formerly the AFF Cup) has often taken place at the end of the year. In the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the tournament will be held in early 2025 with two finals. The Vietnamese team won the championship cup after defeating Thailand in both the first and second leg finals (5-3 on aggregate).

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Vietnam is the current ASEAN Cup champion. Photo: SN

The 2026 edition will be the 16th edition of the tournament since the inaugural edition in Singapore in 1996 (known as the Tiger Cup). This will mark the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN Cup next year.

"The ASEAN Cup is Southeast Asia's premier international tournament and the confirmation of the 2026 dates is of special significance. We are grateful for the unwavering support of our fans since 1996 and look forward to continuing to elevate the tournament to an even greater international event," said AFF President Khiev Sameth.

With the ASEAN Cup 2026 being held in the summer, it brings disadvantages to the Vietnamese team. This is the time when Vietnam's professional football tournaments have just ended, meaning that many key players are at risk of injury or overload.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/asean-cup-2026-to-chuc-vao-mua-he-tuyen-viet-nam-gap-kho-2462928.html