FIFA officially approves the organization of the ASEAN Cup, benefiting the Vietnamese national team.

FIFA confirms that the FIFA ASEAN Cup will take place this year. This presents a favorable opportunity for the Vietnamese national team to win an official FIFA tournament and improve its position on the world rankings.

Southeast Asian national football teams may have to compete in two consecutive Southeast Asian tournaments in 2026, after FIFA announced on March 20 that the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup will be held from September to October.

In a press release following the online meeting of the FIFA Council at its headquarters in Zurich (Switzerland), the world football governing body stated that the council "approved the establishment of the FIFA ASEAN Cup, first presented at the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia in October 2025 and receiving positive feedback, with the first tournament scheduled to be held from September to October 2026."

FIFA did not disclose further information, although this is the first update since they announced the creation of the new tournament for all 11 Southeast Asian football teams in Kuala Lumpur last October.

This announcement was made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino after signing a memorandum of understanding on football development on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit.

National teams in Southeast Asia are currently preparing for the AFF Cup, now also known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup, taking place from July 24 to August 26. Organized by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), this biennial tournament is considered the region's premier football competition. It has been held since 1996, and the upcoming Hyundai Cup will be its 16th edition.

In the AFF Cup 2026, Singapore's national team is in Group A with the defending champion Vietnamese national team under coach Kim Sang Sik, along with Indonesia, Cambodia, and one of the two teams Timor-Leste or Brunei. Thailand's national team falls into Group B with Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup will take place within the new extended international match window starting in 2026. From early 2026, FIFA has eliminated the previous two-week international windows in September and October. Instead, there is a three-week window from September 21 to October 6, with each team playing up to four matches.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup takes place during FIFA Days, so matches in this tournament will earn more points on the FIFA rankings compared to regular AFF Cup matches, which do not occur during FIFA Days. For the Vietnamese national team, this is advantageous as coach Kim Sang Sik and his players can improve their FIFA ranking position when competing against Southeast Asian teams.

Additionally, the Vietnamese national team, as the Southeast Asian champion, has the opportunity to win an official FIFA tournament.