Determining Vietnam National Team's Opening Match at AFF Cup 2026: Home or Away?

Vietnam will face either Brunei or East Timor away in their first match of AFF Cup 2026 on July 24th.

According to the draw results, The 2026 ASEAN Cup will feature two groups: Group A includes Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, and either East Timor or Brunei. Group B consists of Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Laos.

The Southeast Asian Football Federation recently released the official group stage schedule. According to the published fixtures, Vietnam will begin their title defense journey at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 with an away match against the winner of the playoff between Brunei and Timor Leste on July 24, 2026.

In the second round, Coach Kim Sang-sik’s squad will return home to host Singapore on July 31, 2026. Then, Vietnam will travel to Indonesia for the third match on August 3, 2026. The final group stage game will see Vietnam back at home facing Cambodia on August 7, 2026.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.

The first legs of the semifinals will take place on August 15 and 16, with the second legs scheduled for August 18 and 19. The two winners from the semifinals will compete in the finals, with the first leg on August 22 and the second leg on August 26, 2026.

Exact match times and venues will be announced by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) soon.

Vietnam is currently the reigning champion of the AFF Cup after defeating Thailand in both final legs with an aggregate score of 5-3 in January 2025.

As the defending champions, Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team will prepare thoroughly to enter the ASEAN Cup 2026 with the determination to maintain Vietnam’s leading position in Southeast Asian football.

Note: Match times and venues will be announced later by AFF.