AFC exclaimed one thing when the Vietnam national team was awarded a win over Malaysia.

The Asian Football Confederation's fanpage commented when the Vietnam national team was officially awarded a 3-0 win over Malaysia.

On March 17, 2026, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a disciplinary decision against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for violating Article 56 of the Disciplinary and Ethics Code. This ruling immediately created a major turning point in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup final qualifying round.

Accordingly, the Malaysian national team was penalized with losses for two matches they had played, including the encounters against Nepal (March 25, 2025) and Vietnam (June 10, 2025). Based on Article 25.1, both matches were recorded with a 0-3 score due to Malaysia using an ineligible player, regardless of the actual on-field result. The AFC fanpage commented on this incident: "The Vietnam national team made a spectacular leap to surpass Malaysia."

This adjustment significantly altered the landscape of Group F. Malaysia, from the leading position with 15 points, lost 6 points, retaining 9 points. Their goal difference also sharply decreased from +14 to +2.

Conversely, the Vietnam national team was awarded a 3-0 win in the direct encounter, thereby raising their total points to 15. The goal difference also improved from +6 to +13, helping Coach Kim Sang Sik's team rise to lead the group with a perfect record after 5 matches.

Meanwhile, Nepal was recognized with a 3-0 victory over Malaysia, gaining an additional 3 points and improving their goal difference to -2. The Laos national team was unaffected, still holding 3 points but ranking above Nepal due to better head-to-head performance. Notably, with a 6-point gap over Malaysia when only one match remains in the qualifiers, the Vietnam national team has officially secured a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals. Simultaneously, the top spot in Group F was also decided early without waiting for the final match results.

According to the schedule, in the final match on March 31, 2026 at Thien Truong Stadium (Ninh Binh), the Vietnam national team will host Malaysia. Although it no longer determines the final ranking, the match is still expected to be a notable contest, meaningful for accumulating FIFA ranking points, maintaining form, and preparing for the journey at the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

Asian fans reacted strongly when Malaysia was penalized with a 0-3 loss to Vietnam by AFC.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted when penalized with a 0-3 loss to Vietnam by AFC.