Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai set two special milestones after winning the ASEAN Cup 2026 with the Vietnamese national team, including a record for the number of appearances for the national team and the number of regional tournament championships.
In the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of August 26, Quang Hai was brought on in the second half. This appearance helped the midfielder of Hanoi Police Club have his 88th match in the Vietnamese national team jersey.
The number 88 helps Quang Hai surpass the record of 83 appearances for the national team of former striker Le Cong Vinh. This is a new milestone for a Vietnamese player and is likely to be improved by Quang Hai in the near future.
After ASEAN Cup 2026, the Vietnamese national team will continue to aim for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 and the Asian Cup 2027 finals. With his current form, Quang Hai is expected to continue to be in the Vietnamese national team squad, thereby having the opportunity to increase the number of appearances for the national team.
Not only setting a record for the number of matches for the national team, Quang Hai also went down in history as the first Vietnamese player to win the ASEAN Cup three times.
Before this year's tournament, Quang Hai was in the group of 5 players who have twice won the regional tournament, alongside Duy Manh, Bui Tien Dung, Van Toan and Tien Linh. However, among these, only Quang Hai continues to participate in the ASEAN Cup 2026.
Therefore, the championship with the Vietnamese team at My Dinh helped Quang Hai become the first Vietnamese football player to lift the Southeast Asian championship trophy 3 times.
Quang Hai once won the 2018 AFF Cup and 2024 ASEAN Cup with the Vietnamese national team. The 2026 championship helps the midfielder born in 1997 continue to make his mark in the history of Vietnamese football.
Besides Quang Hai, many Vietnamese players have also won the ASEAN Cup 2026. Thanh Chung, Viet Anh, Xuan Manh, Van Vi, Tien Anh, Doan Van Hau, Hoang Duc, Xuan Son, Hai Long and goalkeepers Dang Van Lam and Tran Trung Kien have all won the championship 2 times.
Notably, Tran Trung Kien is a special case when he has won the ASEAN Cup twice but has not played a match in both tournaments in 2024 and 2026.
