Asian Cup 2027 'holding its breath' waiting for Southeast Asia

Singapore qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time. Photo: Matthew Mohan .

On the evening of November 18, the Singapore team came from behind to defeat Hong Kong (China) 2-1, thereby officially winning the 20th ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals.

This is the first time Singapore has participated in the prestigious continental tournament through the qualifying round. Since the tournament's inception in 1956, "The Lions" have never qualified, except for the 1984 edition when they participated as hosts.

Before Singapore, Syria was the first team to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup from the third qualifying round. With the 2027 Asian Cup expanding to 24 teams, host Saudi Arabia and 18 other teams have already secured tickets through their performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian team to have secured an early ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup through the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Singapore became the second Southeast Asian team to participate in the continental football festival. And 3 of the remaining 4 tickets to the 2027 Asian Cup are also holding their breath waiting for Southeast Asian teams.

After winning 4-0 against Sri Lanka in the 5th match of Group D of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Thailand is in a good position. They and Turkmenistan are leading Group D with 12 points each after 5 matches. Thailand (+10) is better than Turkmenistan (+5) in terms of goal difference.

Host country Saudi Arabia and 19 other teams won tickets to the 2027 Asian Cup.

In the final match, Thailand will host Turkmenistan at home. To officially participate in the 2027 Asian Cup, the "War Elephants" only need to defeat their opponents in the final match.

In Group A, the Philippines and Tajikistan are leading with 13 points each. The Philippines is at a disadvantage due to the lower goal difference. But in the decisive match, the Southeast Asian representative only needs to defeat Tajikistan to secure a ticket.

Group F between Vietnam and Malaysia is the most complicated. Malaysia ended 2025 with a 1-0 win over Nepal at home in Bukit Jalil in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on November 18.

Malaysia leads Group F with 15 points, while Vietnam is second with 9 points and has one match left to play. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will face Laos in Vientiane on the evening of November 19.

In theory, Vietnam has very little chance of winning the top spot. However, Malaysia's naturalization scandal could upset everything. The "Malay Tigers" could be penalized with a loss of 1 or 2 matches due to the FAM's document falsification scandal.

Overall, with at least two (and possibly up to five) representatives at the 2027 Asian Cup, Southeast Asian football is having a successful qualifying period.

Source: https://znews.vn/asian-cup-2027-nin-tho-cho-dong-nam-a-post1603988.html