FIFA has authorized partners to distribute the broadcasting rights of the tournament in participating countries. However, up to now, no unit in Vietnam has completed the purchase of broadcasting rights for FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
The main reason comes from the price of about 3 million USD (about 78 billion VND), significantly higher than market expectations. This is considered a large investment in the context that exploiting revenue from advertising, sponsorship and commercial activities is not easy to ensure capital recovery.
FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 has a total of 20 matches, of which Division 1 includes 13 matches (12 group stage matches and final matches), and Division 2 has 7 matches. With a small number of matches but high copyright costs, broadcasting units must carefully calculate business efficiency before making a decision.
It is known that domestic businesses have negotiated with copyright distributors. However, the two sides have not yet reached a final agreement due to price differences. This makes the possibility of Vietnamese fans being able to watch the entire tournament on domestic channels still open.
FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 marks a special milestone when for the first time the Southeast Asian regional national team tournament is directly managed and operated by FIFA. Unlike previous ASEAN Cups, the entire tournament is held in the FIFA Days schedule, creating conditions for teams to call up the strongest forces, including players playing abroad. At the same time, the results of matches are also scored on the FIFA rankings.
This year's tournament is divided into two divisions. Division 1 takes place in Indonesia with Group A including Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore; Group B includes Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Division 2 is held in Hong Kong (China), bringing together Hong Kong (China), Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Timor-Leste.
The Vietnamese team is in a highly competitive group when continuing to face familiar opponents such as Thailand and the Philippines, and also faces Pakistan for the first time at the tournament. With all matches being scored by FIFA, FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is not only about competing for titles but also has a direct impact on the position of teams in the world rankings.
According to the plan, FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 will take place from September 24 to October 3. In the context of the opening time approaching, the market is still waiting for new steps in the copyright negotiation process, to help Vietnamese audiences have the opportunity to follow the journey of the Vietnamese team at this historic tournament.
