Vietnam’s quest for back-to-back titles at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 resumes against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday with coach Kim Sang-sik looking to utilise the depth and quality within his squad to book a third consecutive trip to the final.
The South Korean tactician, who is looking to become the first coach to lead the Vietnamese to successive titles, has made astute use of his 25-man squad throughout a group phase that saw the Golden Star Warriors drop only two points across four matches in 15 days, scoring 13 goals along the way – the most by any team.
“From the beginning of the competition, we knew we would need to plan different line-ups for different matches,” said Kim. “For every game, we have to select the squad that is most suitable for that particular opponent and situation.
“When new players come into the team, they must understand how to work within the group. Our objective is to create a team environment that allows every player to perform at his best.”
Vietnam finished two points clear of Singapore in Group A and will face a Malaysia side that lost only once in their four Group B matches to take second place behind Thailand and claim a semi-final berth for the second time in three tournaments.
The teams will face off in the first leg at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, with Malaysia coach Tan Cheng Hoe looking to gain the upper hand over the Vietnamese in his nation’s quest for a first final appearance since 2018.
Tan was in charge on that occasion and the former Selangor FC and Kedah FC coach has once again played a key role in turning around Malaysia’s fortunes having taken over just weeks after the departure of Peter Cklamovski. The Harimau Malaya have drawn once and lost five matches against Vietnam in their last six meetings in the storied tournament.
“Vietnam are the favourites, we are the underdogs,” said Tan. “The players have nothing to lose. We play against Vietnam, we need to enjoy this moment. Hopefully another full crowd will support the team.”
Seven-times champions Thailand, meanwhile, will travel to take on Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday in a clash between two nations that boast a combined 11 ASEAN Championship titles in the competition’s 30-year history. The Thais will enter the first leg knowing they have beaten the Lions in their six ASEAN Championship encounters, including on their last three visits to the city-state.
Anthony Hudson’s side impressed throughout the group phase despite a rotation policy put in place by the coach, with the War Elephants beating Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Laos without conceding a goal, the only team in the 16th edition of competition to maintain a clean sheet.
“I feel we're building an understanding of how we want to approach games,” Hudson said after his side defeated Myanmar 2-0 to finish on top of Group B with a perfect record.
Singapore, winners of the title on four occasions but not since 2012, have progressed to the semi-finals against the odds having emerged from a group that featured Vietnam and Indonesia, with coach Gavin Lee crediting his players’ self-belief as key to their performances so far.
“As we have said many times, this group of players have not always received a great deal of belief from outside,” he said. “If we do not believe in ourselves, then nobody else will. It was a similar situation coming into this tournament.
“We have therefore focused our attention on what we can control, which is ourselves and our performances.”
The Lions opened their campaign with a last-gasp win over Cambodia through Ilhan Fandi’s spectacular stoppage time strike while battling draws with Vietnam and Indonesia secured their progress to underline the challenge facing Hudson’s team.
The return legs will be played in Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium next Tuesday when Thailand host Singapore while Vietnam will welcome Malaysia to the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi on Wednesday.
The winners of the two-legged ties will advance to the final, which will also be played on a home-and-away basis. The first leg will be played on August 22 with the return on August 26.
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