Before the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final between Thailand and Vietnam at 8 pm on August 22nd at Rajamangala Stadium, the issue of spectators is becoming one of the topics of interest in Thailand.
According to published information, 3,680 tickets allocated to Vietnamese fans have been sold out before the match day. Meanwhile, the number of tickets for Thai fans is still quite large.
Notably, the organizers have reduced prices in some areas to 100 baht, equivalent to about 80,000 VND. However, this move has not significantly boosted purchasing power from Thai fans.
Thai media therefore continuously called on fans to come to the stadium to cheer for the home team, in the context that the Thai team is preparing to enter an important match with the Vietnamese team.
The indifference of a part of Thai fans is said to stem from the team's performance in the journey to the final. In the second leg semi-final, Thailand let Singapore win 2-1 at home but still won the right to advance thanks to the final result.
The playing style of the team under coach Anthony Hudson also faced many mixed opinions. The English coach once publicly reacted to criticism from fans, saying that a part of the fans did not really understand the difficulties facing the team.
These debates have made the atmosphere around the Thai team tense before the final. The reduced number of spectators through the matches also partly reflects the disappointment of fans.
Meanwhile, the fact that all tickets allocated to Vietnamese fans were sold out shows the great attraction of the first leg final. If the Thai audience continues to be low, the home team is at risk of not creating the overwhelming atmosphere expected at Rajamangala.
For the Thai team, home advantage and the cheers of the audience are considered important factors when facing the Vietnamese team. Therefore, bringing fans back to the stadium is becoming one of the notable issues before the decisive match for the ASEAN Cup 2026 championship.
