Football

Vietnamese players will have a short rest before beginning their new campaign next month in Indonesia. Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Southeast Asian champions Việt Nam won't get much time to rest after their regional triumph, as they aim to prove their strength in the brand-new FIFA ASEAN Cup next month.

Việt Nam defeated Thailand 4-2 in aggregate to defend their title at the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup on August 26. The team received tens of billions of đồng as a bonus for their victory, and have been released for 10 days to relax and prepare for club activities.

According to the Việt Nam Football Federation's plan, they will gather again on September 14 for 10 days of training ahead of the FIFA tournament, which will be held from September 24 to October 3.

The competition will feature a two-division 'Nations League' style format held in two host locations, Indonesia and Hong Kong (China). It will offer a new, elite competitive structure designed to showcase Southeast Asian football on a global stage.

There are eight teams competing in the Premier Division in Jakarta. Việt Nam are in Group B with Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan. Group A comprises hosts Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh.

Matches will be held at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung.

Meanwhile, the Challenge Division in Hong Kong (China) features the hosts, Myanmar and Brunei in Group A while Cambodia, Laos and Timor-Leste are placed in Group B. They will compete at the Kai Tak Sports Park.

According to the organising board, this concept is to ensure balanced and competitive matches while expanding the tournament's footprint beyond traditional Southeast Asian borders.

Scheduled within the official FIFA Days window, the competition's timing allows national teams to call up top players, including those in international leagues.

India were also invited to compete in the premier division, but the team withdrew last week, as they wanted to focus on their friendly match against five-time world champions Brazil on October 3.

Bangladesh officially received FIFA approval to join the inaugural event several days later.

The format for both divisions is the same. In the group stage, teams play in a single round-robin format, with the top team from each group advancing to the final to compete for the championship.

Additionally, FIFA is organising a classification round, where the second, third and fourth-best teams from groups A and B face each other.

Despite the two different divisions, there will be no promotion or relegation.

Each team participating in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup will receive US$125,000.

The champions of the Premier Division will receive a prize of $1 million, while the Challenge Division winners will walk away with $300,000. — VNS