Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik called on his side to show their courage when the Golden Star Warriors begin the defence of their title at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 against Timor-Leste in Chonburi on Friday.
The teams face off with the South Korean coach setting his sights on a successful defence of the trophy, which Vietnam secured with victory over seven-times winners Thailand in the tournament decider in early 2025.
“Winning the tournament is not easy,” said Kim, who has been in charge since May 2024. "From the previous edition, I saw that all the teams in Southeast Asia were very competitive and that the standard of football was very high.
“That experience gave us confidence and showed us that we have to play bravely. We must remain united as one team, stay together and continue moving forward with the aim of controlling matches.
“At the same time, we also have to enjoy playing. Hopefully, we can bring joy to everyone through our performances.”
The two nations will be facing off in the tournament for the first time since the competition started in 1996 after Timor-Leste secured their place in Group A with a play-off win over Brunei Darussalam in June.
“We have conducted a lot of analysis on Timor-Leste,” said Kim. “From our analysis, we know they have many young players who run a lot and are very active.
“However, we have prepared well tactically and identified areas that we can take advantage of. Hopefully, we can use those opportunities positively, score goals and secure the victory tomorrow.”
Timor-Leste will be making their fifth appearance in the group phase of the competition and their second in a row having also featured in the 2024 edition, when they fell at the first hurdle following four consecutive defeats.
Coach José Pedro, however, is confident his team can build on their performances against Brunei to make an impact at the 2026 finals.
“The strength of the Timor-Leste national team is the group, our togetherness and the way we work collectively rather than as individuals,” he said.
“We demonstrated that against Brunei in the Qualifying Round Play-Off. Everyone worked hard as a group, and that gave us the opportunity to win both matches and qualify for this major tournament.
“Any success we achieve will come from working together as a group. We have a great deal of respect for Vietnam because they are a very strong team, and tomorrow will be a difficult match.
“However, by remaining united and playing collectively, we believe we can achieve something. Vietnam are similar in that regard. Their strength does not come only from the three players in attack, but from the entire team.”
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