Thai media speaks out as they face Vietnam in the FIFA ASEAN Cup

Thai media is particularly focused on the Vietnamese team following both teams being placed in the same group at the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, and forecasts a highly intense match.

Immediately after FIFA announced the group draw results for the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, Thai media quickly turned its special attention to the Vietnam team. The Siam Sport newspaper stated that the "War Elephants" group promises to be extremely tense as they face direct rival coach Kim Sang-sik's squad, alongside the Philippines and Pakistan in Division 1.

In an article published on July 29, Siam Sport emphasized: "The match promises to be very intense! The Thai national team is in the same group as Vietnam, Pakistan, and the Philippines at the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup." Thailand's leading sports newspaper assesses that the clash between Thailand and Vietnam will be the focal point of Group B, as these two teams have rich achievements and have always fiercely competed in regional tournaments over the years.

According to FIFA's announcement, the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup is a completely new tournament directly organized by the World Football Federation, separate from the traditional AFF Cup. The tournament takes place during the FIFA Days from September 24 to October 3, 2026, allowing teams to call up their strongest squads, and all results are counted towards the FIFA rankings. This is also why regional media highly values the professional significance of the tournament.

In Division 1, eight teams are divided into two groups. Group A includes host Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and India, while Group B brings together Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan. In its article, Siam Sport also fully introduced the group division, noting that Indonesia will host the Division 1 matches, while Hong Kong (China) will host the Division 2 matches.

The fact that Vietnam and Thailand meet early in the group stage is predicted to generate great excitement. In recent years, the two teams have frequently competed for major Southeast Asian football titles and are always considered top contenders for the championship. Therefore, the result of this clash is likely to directly affect the race for the top spot in the group as well as the ticket to the final of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.

According to the plan, the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup will officially kick off on September 24, while the detailed match schedule and tournament regulations will still be announced by FIFA in the coming time. With the attention from regional media right after the draw ceremony, especially the reaction of the Thai press to the clash with the Vietnam team, the first tournament organized by FIFA in Southeast Asia is expected to bring an exciting competitive atmosphere and top-level matches.