The historical burden of the Vietnamese team
ASEAN Cup 2026 marks the 30-year milestone of the tournament. The Vietnamese team, as the defending champion, will play in Group A with the Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia teams. The goal of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team is nothing but to defend the championship.
In history, the Vietnamese team has won this tournament 3 times in 2008, 2018 and 2024. However, in the previous two times, the team has not successfully defended the title. Therefore, the goal of conquering this year's tournament will pose many challenges for Quang Hai and his teammates.
However, thorough preparation and a powerful force, depth in all 3 lines, and stable playing style are factors that bring hope to the Vietnamese team. According to the ASEAN Cup homepage, striker Nguyen Xuan Son - who scored 7 goals at the tournament 2 years ago - will be a very important factor for the team.
Nguyen Xuan Son's killer scoring instinct will continue to be the most important weapon in Vietnam's journey to hunt for the fourth Southeast Asian championship title," the ASEAN Cup homepage commented.
Compared to 2 years ago, the strength of the Vietnamese team has been strengthened with the addition of 2 high-quality naturalized players, Do Hoang Hen and Nguyen Tai Loc. Both are players of class, possessing a playing style full of breakthroughs and have adapted very quickly to the team. Do Hoang Hen scored the first goal for the Vietnamese team in the recent 4-0 victory over Myanmar and is very in sync with Nguyen Xuan Son.
Besides, coach Kim Sang-sik also owns many other players who are in high form such as Doan Van Hau, Nguyen Dinh Bac or Pham Xuan Manh... With that force, the Vietnamese team is confident in aiming for historical goals at this year's tournament.
Challengers
The Timor-Leste team will be the first challenge on the journey to defend the throne of the Vietnamese team. They defeated Brunei team with a score of 6-1 in the preliminary round. According to the ASEAN Cup homepage, winger Zenivio Gostavo and striker Oatnasio da Silva will bring challenges to the Vietnamese team - who only conceded 2 goals in the group stage of the 2024 tournament.
The Indonesian team of new coach John Herdman is considered the biggest challenge for the Vietnamese team in the group stage. They possess a strong force, many naturalized players and have high ambitions. In history, the Indonesian team has been second 6 times, has not won the ASEAN Cup. Therefore, this year, they are determined to change history.
The Singapore team - the team that lost to Vietnam in the semi-finals 2 years ago - is also playing stably recently. They will rely heavily on captain Hariss Harun - the only remaining factor in the squad that once won the Southeast Asian championship with Singapore most recently in 2012.
At the age of 35, Harun is still a very classy midfielder. He and his teammates are expected to continue to maintain impressive form as in the past 12 months, a series of achievements that helped the team win tickets to the 2027 Asian Cup.
Cambodia is the remaining opponent of the Vietnamese team in the group stage. In recent years, they have played very progressively and have naturalized 10 players to consolidate their strength. With those things, they will be a not easy opponent for the Vietnamese team.
