Indonesian media believes their national team will defeat Vietnam to become the first team to secure a semifinal berth in the ASEAN Cup.

The Indonesian media is brimming with confidence ahead of the Indonesia vs. Vietnam clash in the 2026 ASEAN Cup group stage, predicting a favorable result for the team led by John Herdman.

The newspaper CNN Indonesia recently published an article titled: "Before facing Vietnam, Indonesia aims to become the first team to qualify for the semifinals."

The archipelago's newspaper commented: "The Indonesian national team has a chance to become the first team to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 AFF Cup. This scenario will happen if Indonesia beats Vietnam. The match between Indonesia and Vietnam will take place at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, Bogor Regency, on August 3."

"If they win, Indonesia will have 9 points. The semifinal ticket will also be secured because Vietnam can only finish the group stage with a maximum of 7 points, even if they beat Cambodia in the final Group A match on August 7," the newspaper CNN Indonesia wrote. This newspaper also emphasized that no team in the 2026 ASEAN Cup has yet secured a spot in the semifinals.

The newspaper Bola Sport of Indonesia wrote: "In the next match, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will be guests at Indonesia's Pakansari Stadium on August 3. This is considered a decisive match for Vietnam's hopes of reaching the semifinals. To continue controlling their own destiny, Vietnam must avoid defeat against Indonesia. However, that will be no easy challenge as Indonesia possesses a quality squad in excellent form."

"Indonesia's confidence was further boosted after a 3-0 victory over Timor Leste at Chonburi Stadium on July 31. This result means Timor Leste has been officially eliminated even though they still have one match left to play. Indonesia therefore has a huge advantage in the race for a semifinal spot and only needs a favorable result against Vietnam to get very close to the top of the group," the archipelago's newspaper wrote.

Meanwhile, the newspaper RM of Indonesia wrote: "A worrying fact is that Indonesia has not been able to score against Vietnam in the AFF Cup since the 2016 semifinal. In the last four meetings in the tournament, Indonesia has only drawn 0-0 twice, then lost 0-2 in the 2022 AFF Cup semifinal and lost 0-1 in the 2024 AFF Cup group stage."

"That means the match at Pakansari Stadium will be a golden opportunity for John Herdman's players to end this unwanted streak, while also taking a step closer to the semifinal ticket," the Indonesian newspaper emphasized.