Myanmar have been a mainstay in the ASEAN Championship having participated in every edition since the tournament’s inception in 1996.
They’ve reached the semi-finals twice, in 2004 and 2016, and are now managed by the nation’s all-time top-scorer Myo Hlaing Win, and will once again look to put up a good fight at the upcoming ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024.
Tournament Record
Semi-finals (2): 2016, 2004
Tournament Highlights
4️⃣ days out and we're channelling this David Htan energy!
— ASEAN United FC (@aseanutdfc) December 1, 2021
🇲🇲 Who remembers his famous late winner against 🇲🇾 in the 2016 #AFFSuzukiCup group stage?#AFFSuzukiCup2020 | #RivalriesNeverDie pic.twitter.com/Sn18WWpSzm
Myanmar began their ASEAN Championship journey with a bang in their first match in the competition’s history in 1996 when they beat Cambodia 5-0 at Jurong Stadium. Eight years later, 2004 marked one of Myanmar’s finest campaigns when they won their group ahead of Thailand and Malaysia to cause shockwaves and make it to the semi-finals.
A defeat to eventual winners Singapore followed and in the next decade, Myanmar could only win one match across five editions – a 3-2 defeat of Cambodia in 2008. They shone again in 2016 under German Gerd Zeise when David Htan famously scored an 89th-minute winner to knock out Malaysia and send Myanmar through to the knockouts where they again fell at the hands of the eventual winners Thailand.
Since then, Myanmar haven’t come close to repeating those giant-killing feats with their most recent win coming in the 2020 edition, a 2-0 defeat of Timor-Leste in the group stage.
Head Coach: Myo Hlaing Win
One of the greatest players Myanmar has ever produced, Myo Hlaing Win is Myanmar’s all-time top scorer and the only player from Myanmar to have been the top scorer at an ASEAN Championship, achieving the feat in the year 1998.
The 51-year-old took charge of the national team in September and is tasked with getting them up the ASEAN football ladder. Hlaing Win has previously been in charge of Shan United FC, Ayeyawady United and Nay Pyi Taw FC as he gets ready for his first major tournament as national team head coach.
One To Watch: Maung Maung Lwin
Myanmar captain Maung Maung Lwin is a veteran of the ASEAN Championship with this set to be his fifth tournament despite still being just 29 years old. He featured for Myanmar in their historic FIFA U-20 World Cup appearance in 2015 and scored in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 editions of the ASEAN Championship.
Since 2022, he has been playing for Thai League 1 club Lamphun Warriors and is also the only Myanmar footballer to have won a trophy abroad – when he clinched the Thai League 2 title with his club and Myanmar fans will now hope that playing at the highest club level in ASEAN football will unleash a new Maung Maung Lwin at the upcoming tournament.
The Legend: Soe Myat Min
Imagine Myanmar finishing above Thailand and Malaysia at the ASEAN Championship! Sounds like a fairytale, right? That is what exactly happened in the 2004 edition powered by the heroics of Soe Myat Min. Myat Min stunned the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory against hosts Malaysia.
He then started the scoring in a 3-1 win over Timor-Leste as Myanmar went unbeaten to win the group and reach the semi-finals for the first time. Three more goals followed across two legs against eventual winners Singapore as Myanmar succumbed after taking the game to extra time. Myat Min finished as the second-highest scorer with six goals and with it a place in the heart of every Myanmar football fan.
Did You Know?
At just 14 years and 93 days, Aung Kyaw Tun scored a debut goal against Thailand in the 2000 ASEAN Championship, making him the youngest male international goalscorer ever – a record which still stands today.
Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ Fixtures
Myanmar vs Indonesia (9 December, 2024)
Philippines vs Myanmar (12 December, 2024)
Myanmar vs Laos (18 December, 2024)
Vietnam vs Myanmar (21 December, 2024)
Photo: Myanmar Football Federation
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