In Group F of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese and Malaysian teams both won the first match (March 2025). Therefore, Malaysia is considered a direct competitor for the group's only ticket to the final round.
However, the heavy 0-4 loss to this opponent in the second match pushed coach Kim Sang-sik and his team into an unfavorable situation.
Currently, Malaysia is leading the group with 6 absolute points after two wins. Vietnam is in 2nd place with 3 points, equal with Laos but temporarily ranked above thanks to a better head-to-head record.
According to the AFC format, only the top team will qualify directly for the 2027 Asian Cup Finals. Therefore, the Vietnamese team must take the top spot if they want to participate in this tournament.
In theory, the Vietnamese team still has opportunities but is very fragile. There are two scenarios for the Vietnamese team to win a ticket to the next round.
Malaysia stumbled, Vietnam won all:
The Vietnamese team needs to win all 4 remaining matches (including the win over Malaysia) and hopefully Malaysia will lose points when facing Laos or Nepal.
However, this possibility is very low because both opponents are considered weaker than Malaysia.
Vietnam beat Malaysia by 5 goals or more:
If both Vietnam and Malaysia both won against Laos and Nepal, the rematch between the two teams in March 2026 in Hanoi will be decisive. At that time, the Vietnamese team must defeat Malaysia by at least 5 goals to get ahead thanks to this goal difference.
However, this is an extremely difficult task for Mr. Kim Sang-sik and his team as Malaysia has many quality naturalized players with good physical strength and technique.
