The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coach Kim Sang-sik have decided that the Vietnam team will not compete internationally this September. Instead, the team will have 2 friendly matches with domestic clubs, Hanoi Police (September 4) and Nam Dinh (September 7).
The main reason for the Vietnamese team not playing international friendly matches during the FIFA Days in September 2025 is that coach Kim Sang-sik is busy preparing for the U23 Vietnam team to participate in the U23 Asian qualifiers.
The Korean strategist will use friendly matches with Hanoi Police and Nam Dinh to re-evaluate the squad, review the force, and prepare for the gathering in October 2025, where the Vietnamese team will compete in 2 qualifying matches for the 2027 Asian Cup.
In contrast to the Vietnam team, opponents in the Southeast Asian region (DNA) all competed in international friendly matches this September, because they all have very clear goals. The Thai team will play in the King's Cup at home. They will meet Fiji and then the winner of the Iraq vs Hong Kong (China) match in the next match.
Indonesia, the only team in Southeast Asia still competing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, is even busier with a more international competition schedule. After the Kuwait team unexpectedly canceled the friendly match, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) has found a replacement opponent.
Accordingly, the Indonesian team will play against Taiwan (China) and Lebanon at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya on September 5 and 8, 2025. These two matches are part of the preparation process of the Indonesian men's national team, before the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.
Malaysia, Vietnam's opponent in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, will play a friendly match with Singapore on September 4. Then on September 8, the Malaysian team will have another international match with the Palestinian team, currently ranked 98th in the world.
The Malaysian team wants to have the best preparation with the goal of winning two victories against the Lao team in October 2025, in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
For the Singapore team, in addition to the match against Malaysia, they will also play a friendly match with Myanmar on September 9. This is considered a necessary preparation step for them to review their squad for two important matches against the Indian team in October 2025.
