Vietnam's national team could potentially face Japan and Indonesia again in the Asian Cup.

Vietnam's national team risks being placed in a difficult group and might encounter Indonesia again during the Asian Cup 2027 group phase.

After the conclusion of the third qualifying round for Asian Cup 2027, the seedings for the final draw have been determined. Vietnam's national team is among the 24 teams participating in the tournament held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027. Additionally, Thailand's national team also secured a spot in Asian Cup 2027.

In the decisive match, Thailand defeated Turkmenistan 2-1, thereby earning 15 points and moving to the top of Group D. This victory added 8.87 FIFA points to their total, raising it to 1,252.14 and improving their global ranking from 96th to 93rd. According to Thairath, with this position, Thailand is almost certain to be in seed group 3, based on their FIFA ranking.

The seed groups for the Asian Cup 2027 finals are: Group 1 includes Saudi Arabia (host), Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Uzbekistan; Group 2 comprises Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Oman, Syria; Group 3 has Bahrain, Thailand, China, Palestine, Vietnam, Tajikistan; Group 4 consists of Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon or Yemen, North Korea, Indonesia, Kuwait, Singapore.

However, the draw scheduled for April 11 has been postponed indefinitely because the Lebanon vs. Yemen match was moved to June due to the impact of the Middle East conflict.

Given the current seed group arrangement, Vietnam's national team faces the risk of being placed in a tough group at the Asian Cup 2027 finals. In fact, Vietnam could even be grouped with teams they faced in the Asian Cup 2023 group stage, as Coach Kim Sang Sik's squad is in seed group 3 with a world ranking of 99th.

Seed group 1 consists of the continent's strongest teams, with Japan's national team considered a top contender for the Asian Cup 2027 title. Other teams like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Australia, and Uzbekistan are also very strong.

In group 2, Iraq, Qatar, and UAE are also formidable teams. Notably, Iraq's national team recently qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Since they are in group 3, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team will not face Thailand, China, or Bahrain in the group stage. Meanwhile, group 4 includes quality teams like Indonesia's national team and North Korea.

Thus, Vietnam's national team could very well be grouped with teams they previously encountered in the Asian Cup 2023 group stage, such as Japan, Iraq, and Indonesia. At that time, Vietnam finished bottom of the group after three losses. Currently, all three mentioned teams maintain their caliber.

Among them, Indonesia's national team has become a formidable side with many naturalized players. Indonesia's team even advanced to the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Despite having a strong squad, Indonesia lost crucial matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against top Asian teams, preventing them from breaking into the FIFA Top 100 ranking. Therefore, Indonesia's national team can only be placed in seed group 4.

Being in seed group 3, Vietnam's national team will face significant challenges at Asian Cup 2027. However, unlike their last participation, Vietnam's current squad has been strengthened with players like Xuan Son and Hoang Hen, raising hopes for a deeper run in next year's tournament.

Asian Cup 2027 will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027, with 24 national teams participating. This will also be the last Asian Cup held in an odd-numbered year since 2007, before it is adjusted to even-numbered years to align with FIFA's international competition calendar. Qatar's national team is currently the reigning champion for two consecutive editions.