What is FIFA ASEAN Cup different from ASEAN Cup?
FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is the first international tournament organized by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for Southeast Asian teams and guests. The first version will be held during FIFA Days from September 24 to October 3.
The champion in the Premier League will receive a prize of 1 million USD and bonus points on the FIFA rankings. Unlike the ASEAN Cup, a tournament with a 30-year history and the Vietnamese team has won 4 times, the FIFA ASEAN Cup is within the official match time frame of FIFA, so clubs are required to release players. This is an important factor to help increase competitiveness and quality for the tournament.
At FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, the Vietnamese team will play in the Premier League, in the same group as Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. And the Indonesian, Malaysian, Bangladeshi and Singaporean teams will play in Group B. The top two teams in each group will enter the final to compete for the championship.
As the team that just won the ASEAN Cup 2026, the Vietnamese team is considered the leading candidate for the title at the upcoming tournament organized by FIFA. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will face fierce competition from teams in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Indonesia.
Thailand national team will change
With the Thai team, they deserve to be respected even though they lost 2-4 to Vietnam in the final of ASEAN Cup 2026. In the second leg, they scored all 4 goals in the 2-2 draw, with 2 own goals, missing a penalty, missing a golden opportunity to reverse the situation.
With a squad with many young players, participating in the region's number one tournament for the first time, with little experience, the Thai team played very maturely at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of August 26. They took the lead, controlled the ball up to 70% in the first half, making the Vietnamese team confused in defense and did not have any truly impressive attacks.
The second half took place with unbelievable developments, but what can be seen is that the patched-up squad of the Thai team made the Vietnamese team have moments of "living in fear". The performance of Anthony Hudson's team exceeded the expectations of the Thai media before the match took place. Some newspapers even emphasized that the home team almost had no hope and even predicted that the Vietnamese team would win 2-1 at My Dinh Stadium.
More importantly, the Thai team knows how to accept defeat. Coach Anthony Hudson emphasized that the Vietnamese team deserves to be champion, despite the regret for the home team. He also revealed that the "War Elephant" squad for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 will have major changes. At that time, the Thai team may show a very different face.
That is a tournament where Thailand's best players such as Chanathip Songkrasin, Theerathon Bunmathan, Suphanat, Supachai, Supachok or Ekanit... can participate. With these factors, the Thai team is strong enough to end Vietnam's 26-match unbeaten streak, in a period when they are being overshadowed by the success of Kim Sang-sik's team.
With the Vietnamese team, after winning the Southeast Asian championship, expectations for the team will increase in the upcoming tournament. This also poses a challenge for Mr. Kim Sang-sik to upgrade himself, because in the joy of being crowned, he must recognize that the Vietnamese team still has "scratches" in their playing style.
