The draw for the AFF Cup 2024 takes place at 2 PM today, May 21, at a five-star hotel in Hanoi. Newly appointed head coach of the Vietnam national team, Kim Sang-sik, will be in attendance.
The AFF ranks the seed groups based on performances in the last two tournaments, with each group containing two teams. Thailand, having won the AFF Cup in 2020 and 2022, leads the first seed group. Vietnam, with a runner-up finish and a semi-final exit in those tournaments, is tied with Indonesia on 19 points but has a better tiebreaker and thus occupies the remaining spot in the first seed group.
Indonesia falls to the second seed group alongside Malaysia. The third seed group includes Singapore and the Philippines, while the fourth seed group consists of Myanmar and Cambodia. The final seed group features Laos and the winner of the playoff between Brunei and Timor Leste.
Thailand and Vietnam will lead the two groups. Following this, the organizers will draw teams from each subsequent seed group to fill the groups. Vietnam could end up in the same group as Indonesia, a recently familiar foe.
Under former coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam had an unbeaten record against Indonesia. However, this streak ended under his successor, Philippe Troussier, with consecutive defeats to Indonesia in the 2021 SEA Games semi-finals, the 2024 Asian Cup, and two matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The 0-3 loss to Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium on March 26 was the final straw, leading to Troussier’s departure.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) subsequently appointed Kim Sang-sik as head coach. The South Korean coach has been tasked with leading Vietnam to the AFF Cup 2024 finals.
The 2024 AFF Cup will be the 15th edition of the tournament, which began in 1996. Vietnam has won the title twice, in 2008 and 2018. Thailand boasts the most championships with seven titles, followed by Singapore with four. Malaysia has won once, in 2010.
Indonesia is often seen as the perennial runner-up, having reached the finals six times without winning. The Indonesian Football Association hopes that coach Shin Tae-yong can end their AFF Cup drought this year, especially with the strengthening of their squad through the addition of several naturalized players.
As the draw unfolds today, fans and teams alike eagerly anticipate the matchups that will set the stage for another thrilling AFF Cup.
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