According to FIFA, the tournament gathers 14 teams, of which 8 teams compete in the 1st Division and 6 teams compete in the 2nd Division.
The First Division matches are held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Jakarta, Indonesia) and Si Jalak Harupat Stadium (Bandung, Indonesia). Meanwhile, the Second Division takes place at Kai Tak and Mong Kok Stadiums (Hong Kong, China).
With the new format, the tournament will have two champions. FIFA also announced cup versions corresponding to the two leagues.
Accordingly, the First Division Cup will be introduced at the Indonesia Sports Summit 2026 in Jakarta, with the appearance of the President of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir.
FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 also has a difference compared to the previous ASEAN Cup when it is held during FIFA Days. The results of the matches will be scored with a high coefficient on the FIFA rankings. The Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand teams are assessed by FIFA as championship candidates for the 1st Division championship.
The Vietnamese team will start their journey at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 with a match against the Philippines at 7:30 PM on September 26th. After that, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will face Thailand at 7:30 PM on September 29th. In the last match of Group B, the Vietnamese team will meet Pakistan at 4:00 PM on October 2nd.
After the group stage, if the Vietnamese team leads the group, they will win a ticket to the final of the First Division. In case of finishing second in the group, Quang Hai and his teammates will play the third-place match.
With this schedule, the team has the opportunity to accumulate FIFA points in an official tournament, and also aim for the first title of the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
