On the afternoon of May 21, the draw for the AFF Cup 2024 took place in Hanoi, resulting in the Vietnam national football team being placed in a challenging group alongside Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.
This group presents a tough challenge for Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team, as both Indonesia and the Philippines have proven to be formidable opponents in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Meanwhile, Myanmar has shown significant improvement, recently securing a draw against Syria in the World Cup qualifiers.
Coach Kim Sang-sik shared his quick assessment of Indonesia and the Philippines: “The Indonesian team is in good form, and their recent performances have been impressive. The Philippines, on the other hand, have added many new naturalized players. However, the Vietnam team also has its own strengths, and with thorough preparation, we can achieve good results in these two matches.”
Vietnam is the current runner-up of the AFF Cup and has set two records under former coach Park Hang-seo. The team was the first to reach the finals with a clean sheet (AFF Cup 2022) and is the only team in history to remain unbeaten and keep a clean sheet in 12 consecutive group stage matches (AFF Cups 2018, 2020, and 2022).
During Park Hang-seo’s five-year tenure, Vietnam lost only two matches in the AFF Cup, both to Thailand: in the first leg of the 2020 AFF Cup semifinals and the second leg of the 2022 AFF Cup finals. Against the Philippines and Indonesia in the AFF Cup over the past five years, Vietnam remained unbeaten, with one win and two draws against Indonesia and two wins against the Philippines.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has set a target for Coach Kim Sang-sik to reach the AFF Cup finals. However, the South Korean coach has his sights set on winning the championship.
“In any tournament, my goal is always to win the championship. The AFF Cup 2024 will be very challenging with strong teams, and every match will be tough, with no easy games. Nevertheless, with good preparation, I believe the Vietnam national team can achieve good results and successfully conquer the AFF Cup 2024,” Coach Kim Sang-sik concluded.
The AFF Cup 2024, now rebranded as the ASEAN Cup, will run from November 23 to December 21. Vietnam will start their campaign against Laos on November 24, followed by a home match against Indonesia on November 30. They will then play away against the Philippines on December 3, before hosting Myanmar on December 7 in their final group match.
The 2024 edition marks the 15th installment of the AFF Cup, a tournament that began in 1996. Vietnam has won the championship twice, in 2008 and 2018. Thailand holds the record with seven titles, followed by Singapore with four, and Malaysia with one in 2010.
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