The Vietnamese national team has won the Southeast Asian championship three times - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
At 4 PM today (January 15th), the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) will hold the draw for the ASEAN Cup 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia, marking the 30th anniversary of the region's biggest football tournament, now renamed the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026.
Based on their performance in the previous tournament, the AFF has divided the 10 teams into 5 seeded groups. Notably, Vietnam and Thailand are both in seeded group 1.
According to the draw rules, these two teams will automatically be placed in different groups (Group A and Group B).
Despite avoiding the "War Elephants" early on, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team still face significant challenges as the remaining seeded groups include many formidable opponents.
Group 1: Vietnam and Thailand.
Group 2: Malaysia and Singapore.
Group 3: Philippines and Indonesia.
Group 4: Cambodia and Myanmar.
Group 5: Laos and the winner of the play-off match between Brunei and Timor Leste.
Therefore, the Vietnamese team could easily end up in a "group of death" if they face tough opponents like Indonesia or Malaysia right from the group stage.
At the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnamese national team asserted their dominance by defeating Thailand with a total score of 5-3 after two dramatic final matches to claim the championship.
Entering the 2026 tournament, the ultimate goal for the Vietnamese national team is undoubtedly to successfully defend their championship title.
The ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place from July 24th to August 26th, 2026, immediately after the 2026 World Cup concludes. Prior to that, the Brunei and Timor Leste national teams will compete in the qualifying rounds (on June 2nd and 9th) to vie for the final spot in the group stage.
THANH DINH
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-khong-chung-bang-voi-thai-lan-o-asean-cup-2026-20260115090742748.htm
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