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Vietnam will face considerable pressure at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.

Not long after being crowned ASEAN Cup 2026 champions, Vietnam are preparing for another tournament of considerable importance to coach Kim Sang Sik this year: the FIFA ASEAN Cup.

The competition carries particular significance as it is being organized by FIFA for Southeast Asian nations for the first time.

FIFA ASEAN Cup matches will also count toward the international rankings in the same way as international friendlies, giving Vietnam every reason to approach the tournament with the utmost seriousness.

Beyond the significance of the competition itself, expectations among supporters and football experts are running high following Vietnam’s success at the ASEAN Cup 2026.

Those expectations are understandable. Vietnam enter the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 in Indonesia as the reigning Southeast Asian champions, placing considerable pressure on Kim and his players.

The pressure is even greater because Vietnam must demonstrate that their recent achievements under Kim are the product of thorough preparation and a squad with genuine depth and quality.

At the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, Vietnam will face the Philippines and Pakistan before, most notably, meeting Thailand again.

With the tournament taking place during the FIFA international window, Thailand are expected to bring their strongest available squad.

The pressure to win, succeed and reaffirm Vietnam’s standing in Southeast Asian football will inevitably fall on Kim’s shoulders, even if the South Korean coach chooses to treat the tournament as a high-quality test ahead of the larger goal of the 2027 Asian Cup.

A test of Kim Sang Sik’s adaptability

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Coach Kim Sang Sik also faces a series of clear challenges as Vietnam prepare for the tournament.

Under the current schedule, Vietnam will regroup after the second round of the 2026/27 V-League season to prepare for their opening Group B match against the Philippines on September 26.

In theory, Kim will have around two weeks to work with his squad. The reality, however, is far less comfortable, with several key players likely to have only five or six days in camp with the national team.

Cong An Ha Noi, the club that has supplied many of Vietnam’s national-team players in recent times, illustrates the problem.

The club still has two matches to play, including a Champions League Elite fixture against Osaka on September 15, followed by an early third-round V-League match against Dong Nai on September 20.

That means players including Quang Hai, Dinh Bac, Nguyen Filip, Van Hau, Van Do, Thanh Long and Quang Vinh will have only a few days with the national team before the squad departs for Indonesia.

This is a significant departure from Vietnam’s preparations for the ASEAN Cup and previous tournaments, when Kim was generally given favorable conditions and considerably more time to work with his players and address the team’s shortcomings.

More importantly, Vietnam still have several technical issues to improve following the ASEAN Cup 2026. With their opponents expected to field their strongest squads, physical conditioning will also present another substantial challenge for the South Korean coach.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup will therefore be more than a test of Vietnam’s ability against the region’s strongest opposition.

It will also test Kim’s capacity to adapt when he no longer has the luxury of ideal preparation.

If Vietnam can overcome these challenges, the tournament could provide another important foundation for a bigger ambition: taking the national team to a higher level on the road to the 2027 Asian Cup.

Duy Nguyen