More opportunities to rub shoulders
FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 marks the first time FIFA directly organizes and manages a tournament specifically for Southeast Asian teams. The fact that the tournament takes place during FIFA Days brings a great advantage to the Vietnamese national team when coach Kim Sang-sik almost does not have to worry about the force problem. The national team has the opportunity to gather all the best players without being affected by the V.League schedule or club-level tournaments.
This is also a difference compared to the traditional ASEAN Cup, which usually takes place outside FIFA Days, causing many teams to have difficulty in summoning their strongest forces.
Another benefit is that the Vietnamese national team has more quality playground to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup finals. Previously, every FIFA Days, the Vietnam Football Federation often had to proactively find suitable friendly opponents, but not always could they choose a team with the same level. Therefore, the FIFA ASEAN Cup helps coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have more official matches with high competitiveness, helping the coaching staff assess forces, test tactics and maintain the pace of competition.
The tournament also creates great financial motivation. According to the announcement, the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 champion team will receive 1 million USD in prize money from FIFA, three times higher than the prize money for the previous ASEAN Cup champion. In addition, each team will receive 125,000 USD in tournament participation fees and receive additional prize money for each victory and draw. This prize money partly reflects FIFA's investment in the new playground, contributing to raising the value of Southeast Asian football.
Big challenge right from the group stage
Besides the advantages, the FIFA ASEAN Cup also makes the journey of the Vietnamese team significantly more difficult.
According to the draw results, the Vietnamese national team is in Group B with Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. Among these, Thailand is still the leading direct competitor of Vietnamese football in the region. The confrontations between the two teams for many years have always taken place with high professional quality and have a great influence on the championship race.
The Philippines is also no longer an easy opponent. This team possesses a force of many players playing in Europe and continues to pursue a policy of using foreign-born players. With good physical strength and speed, the Philippines always has the potential to create surprises against strong teams in the region.
Unlike the traditional ASEAN Cup, the FIFA ASEAN Cup gathers teams with more uniform quality. Not to mention, the tournament takes place during FIFA Days, so the teams will have the strongest and best force. This means that the Vietnamese team will have to enter highly competitive matches right from the group stage, instead of having the opportunity to accumulate points against weaker opponents.
The pressure of achievement will also be greater when the tournament is organized for the first time by FIFA. Each result not only affects the opportunity to compete for the championship but also affects the score on the FIFA rankings, an important factor in classifying seeded players in international tournaments.
However, considering many aspects, the FIFA ASEAN Cup is still a valuable opportunity for the Vietnamese team. Playing with the strongest force, constantly meeting quality opponents and competing in a tournament with high professional value will help players accumulate more experience before the bigger goal of the 2027 Asian Cup.
If they can overcome the challenge right from the group stage, this can completely become an important stepping stone for Vietnamese football to improve its position in the region and in the FIFA rankings.
