Why did the Vietnamese national team fail in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026?

The 0-1 defeat against Malaysia in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 third-place match, held on the evening of October 5th in Indonesia, not only cost the Vietnamese team the chance to win a consolation bronze medal but also ended their 11-match unbeaten streak (10 wins) against their opponent over the past 12 years.

But that wasn't the only disappointment. Before that, coach Kim Sang Sik's team also lost 0-2 to Thailand in the group stage, missing out on a chance to reach the final.

That defeat also ended the Vietnamese team's 27-match unbeaten streak (23 wins), which had helped coach Kim Sang Sik's team dominate the region for the past two years.

A disappointing performance.

The Vietnamese national team had two wins and two losses at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. Of those, the two losses came from the two crucial matches mentioned above.

Over four matches, the "Golden Star Warriors" only scored 5 goals – a very poor performance compared to the numerous opportunities created. Of those, 4 goals were against Pakistan – a team ranked 198th in FIFA. Notably, this was also the match where the Vietnamese team conceded two goals to this opponent, ranked 99 places lower.

For the first time, the Vietnamese national team included eight naturalized players and overseas Vietnamese – a record high – but their actual performance fell short of expectations.

Striker Xuan Son's departure from the tournament after the opening match against the Philippines is regrettable. But the remaining seven players, with the exception of goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik and, to some extent, Adou Minh, did not all perform well.

Hoang Hen, Tai Loc, and even Cao Pendant Quang Vinh were major disappointments, despite all three being expected to be solid pillars for the Vietnamese national team amidst a serious shortage of players due to injuries.

Depleted squad and poor physical condition.

The Vietnamese national team will participate in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 with a severely depleted squad. In the defense, Thanh Chung, Van Hau, and Van Vi are all absent. Of these, the absence of Thanh Chung is the biggest loss for the Vietnamese defense, as he is a veteran and highly experienced central defender.

The absence of Quang Hai, and a less-than-optimal Hoang Duc after his recent return from injury, also weakened the Vietnamese national team's midfield.

In particular, the absence of Xuan Son after the opening match due to injury left the Vietnamese national team's attack ineffective, especially considering that Thailand and Malaysia had significantly strengthened their squads by calling up their best players during the FIFA Days tournament.

Besides absences due to injury, the poor physical condition of the players due to continuous and excessive matches also prevented the Vietnamese national team from showcasing its best style of play.

Even a young and quick-recovering player like Dinh Bac couldn't avoid being overloaded, let alone the older players. The 22-year-old striker had to be a substitute in both of the last two matches against Pakistan and Malaysia, and even had to train separately before the final match against Malaysia.

Considering only the U23 and senior Vietnam national teams, not to mention club level, Dinh Bac has been a regular starter and played continuously throughout the tournaments from the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, SEA Games 33, the 2026 Asian U23 Championship, and the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

Failure to see limitations

In fact, it's not just the Vietnamese national team that will be missing many key players due to injury at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. Thailand will also be without striker Suphanat Mueanta and center-back Jonathan Khemdee.

Malaysia played against Vietnam in the third-place match without their key striker Faisal Halim due to injury and captain and central defender Dion Cools (Cerezo Osaka, Japan) due to personal reasons.

The crucial point is that the remaining players in the Vietnamese team were not good enough or in peak physical condition given the short duration of the tournament. More importantly, coach Kim Sang Sik also made some poor decisions in selecting personnel and positioning on the field.

Before participating in the FIFA ASEAN Cup, Tài Lộc suffered a minor injury and was unable to play for Ninh Bình Club. Hoàng Hên, upon returning to Hanoi Club, also played quite a lot and was unable to reach 100% fitness when joining the Vietnamese national team training camp.

Even in Hoang Duc's case! It wasn't until after the match against the Philippines that the Vietnamese national team captain was able to join the rest of the team for training after recovering from injury. The long period without training meant Hoang Duc lacked sufficient fitness.

Coach Kim Sang Sik's tactical experiments were ineffective. Hoang Hen, Tai Loc, and even Cao Pendant Quang Vinh didn't perform well when deployed as central midfielders. Minh Khoa's inclusion in the national team to replace Quang Hai also proved to be merely a temporary solution!

Defender Le Ngoc Bao and 20-year-old Vietnamese-Australian striker Khoa Ngo also disappointed when given the opportunity to start.

Having been unbeaten in the ASEAN Cup in 2024 and 2026, a defeat in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 would be something fans wouldn't be used to. But it would also be an opportunity for coach Kim Sang Sik and his team to identify their shortcomings.

That's the way to select personnel, especially the need for a true defensive midfielder. The ability to change the course of the game when the opponent is trailing, and finishing skills when Xuan Son isn't in the lineup.