Affirming the championship position
The Vietnamese team closed ASEAN Cup 2026 with the championship after a 2-2 draw with Thailand in the second leg final, thereby winning the overall victory 4-2 after two legs. Quang Hai and his teammates successfully defended their title and created an unprecedented milestone.
Coach Kim Sang-sik also became the first coach in the history of Vietnamese football to win the Southeast Asian playground twice in a row. At the same time, the Korean strategist continues to make his mark in the confrontations with Thailand in the regional playground.
Commentator Quang Tung highly appreciates the way the Vietnamese team conquered the championship. According to him, the success of the team comes from the thorough preparation of coach Kim Sang-sik and the ability of the players to shine at the right time.
The Vietnamese team is very worthy of the championship because Mr. Kim Sang-sik has good, thorough and scientific preparation for the tournament. Each player knows how to shine and explode at the right time. In addition, the defending champion also has good luck going hand in hand," commentator Quang Tung commented.
In the journey to the throne, the Vietnamese team maintained an unbeaten record. The team successively overcame Timor-Leste, Indonesia Cambodia and drew with Singapore. In the semi-finals, Quang Hai and his teammates won against Malaysia 2-0 in both legs.
The championship continues to extend the streak of achievements of coach Kim Sang-sik and Vietnamese football. He and the Vietnamese national teams have won 4 tournaments, including ASEAN Cup 2024 and 2026, U23 Southeast Asia 2025 and SEA Games 2025.
Moving forward to the big playground
Not only affirmed by achievements on the field, the position of the Vietnamese team is also shown through the interest from FIFA. FIFA President - Mr. Gianni Infantino was directly present at My Dinh Stadium to watch the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final between Vietnam and Thailand.
After the match, Mr. Infantino went down to the field to attend the award ceremony and award the championship cup to captain Nguyen Quang Hai and members of the Vietnamese team. On his personal page, the FIFA President shared his impression of the atmosphere at My Dinh and called Vietnam "one of the forces of Southeast Asian football".
It's a great experience to watch the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final in Hanoi and feel the incredible enthusiastic atmosphere at the stadium packed with spectators.
I would like to send warm congratulations to Vietnam, one of the forces of Southeast Asian football, with a completely deserved championship in front of a large number of fans celebrating with their heroes" - Mr. Gianni Infantino wrote.
The presence of the head of FIFA in the final also adds a highlight to a regional tournament. Notably, after the ASEAN Cup 2026, the Vietnamese team will continue to have the opportunity to step into a new playground with the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
This tournament takes place within the FIFA Days framework, creating conditions for teams to call up their strongest forces, including players playing abroad. The matches are also meaningful to the FIFA rankings, thereby being competitively different from the ASEAN Cup.
In this tournament, the Vietnamese team is in the same group with Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. This is an opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to continue to test their ability when opponents can use the best force.
If ASEAN Cup 2026 is where the Vietnamese national team continues to affirm its number one position in Southeast Asia, then the FIFA ASEAN Cup will open a new challenge. After a second consecutive championship, the team's goal is not only to maintain achievements but also to gradually improve the quality of competition in higher international playgrounds.
