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Vietnam ease into final

Wed, 19 Aug, 2026

Vietnam ease into final

Hanoi: Title holders Vietnam will take on Thailand in the final of the ASEAN Championship 2026 after Kim Sang-sik’s side registered a 2-0 win over Malaysia in Hanoi on Wednesday to complete a 4-0 aggregate semi-final win.

Substitute Nguyen Xuan Son scored in the 62nd and 89th minutes as Vietnam finally found a way past goalkeeper Azri Ghani, who gave the Malaysians hope of an unlikely comeback with a performance that frustrated the home side throughout the clash at My Dinh Stadium.
 
Vietnam will travel to Bangkok to face the Thais in the opening leg on Saturday with the return to be played in Hanoi on Wednesday.

PS - Group A: Sabah FA (MAS) 13-0 Rovers FC (GUM)

Mon, 17 Aug, 2026

PS - Group A: Sabah FA (MAS) 13-0 Rovers FC (GUM)

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FA sailed to a 13-0 win against Rovers FC in their AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27™ Preliminary Stage match on Monday.

Bobby Gonzales’ side kept pace with India’s East Bengal FC, who beat Rajshahi Stars FC 4-0 with the Bangladesh side being the next opponent on Thursday.

Preview: S-finals (2nd leg)

Mon, 17 Aug, 2026

Preview: S-finals (2nd leg)

Kuala Lumpur: Vietnam and Thailand will look to finish the job in the ASEAN Championship 2026 semi-finals second leg to book a repeat of the previous two finals.

Holders Vietnam and Thailand are on course to reach yet another decider after picking up first leg victories against Malaysia (2-0) and Singapore (3-1) respectively.

S-final (1st leg): Malaysia 0-2 Vietnam

Sun, 16 Aug, 2026

S-final (1st leg): Malaysia 0-2 Vietnam

Kuala Lumpur: Nguyen Xuan Son’s diving header and a late own goal from Faris Danish mean Vietnam hold the advantage in the second leg of their ASEAN Championship 2026 semi-final after Kim Sang-sik’s side secured a 2-0 win over Malaysia on Sunday.

Xuan Son scored in spectacular fashion in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time to give the defending champions the lead before the unfortunate Faris steered the ball into his own net with only four minutes remaining.

The teams will meet again in Hanoi on Wednesday with Vietnam attempting to win back-to-back titles for the first time. The winner will face either Thailand or Singapore, with the Thais holding a 3-1 lead from their first leg played on Saturday.

Group B: Malaysia, Thailand make semis

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Group B: Malaysia, Thailand make semis

Kuala Lumpur: Thailand set up an ASEAN Championship 2026 semi-final with four-times champions Singapore as Anthony Hudson’s side notched up a 2-0 win over Myanmar in Bangkok to seal top spot in Group B while Malaysia also advanced after their 1-0 victory over the Philippines.

The Singaporeans will host the first semi-final on August 15 against the seven-times champions with the return in Bangkok three days later while Malaysia will play against title holders Vietnam in the second semi-final on August 16 and August 19.

A penalty in each half from Worachit Kanitsribumphen and Jehhanafee Mamah earned the Thais their fourth win of the group phase as Hudson’s side finished with a perfect record and three points clear of the second-placed Malaysians.

JDT nab Stoichkov; Ha Noi add Jung

Sun, 02 Aug, 2026

JDT nab Stoichkov; Ha Noi add Jung

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim have further strengthened their squad with the arrival of forward Juan Diego Molina Martinez - also known as Stoichkov.

Head coach Xisco Munoz can look to the 32-year-old former Granada CF player to boost the squad for their domestic competitions as well as the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27™after their historic run to the quarter-finals last season.

Group B: Thailand go top; Philippines find rhythm

Sat, 01 Aug, 2026

Group B: Thailand go top; Philippines find rhythm

Bangkok: Thailand moved into pole position in Group B of the ASEAN Championship on Saturday as Anthony Hudson’s side handed Malaysia a 2-0 defeat at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Yotsakon Burapha’s penalty gave the seven-times champions the lead in the 38th minute and Teerasak Poeiphimai doubled the advantage 11 minutes into the second half as Thailand followed up their opening win over Laos with a second victory.

Preview: MD3

Thu, 30 Jul, 2026

Preview: MD3

Kuala Lumpur: The race is set to intensify as teams in the ASEAN Championship 2026 look to strengthen their claim for semi-final spots while others will be aiming to reignite their campaign when matches resume on Friday.

Singapore and Malaysia lead Group A and Group B respectively but with plenty of matches still to be played, a lot could change in the coming days as the-AFC.com looks at what’s in store in the next round of matches.

Group B: Malaysia march on; Myanmar bounce back

Tue, 28 Jul, 2026

Group B: Malaysia march on; Myanmar bounce back

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia handed Laos a 4-0 defeat in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday as Tan Cheng Hoe’s side completed consecutive victories in Group B of the ASEAN Championship 2026 while Myanmar bounced back from their opening day loss to win 4-1 against the Philippines.

Paulo Josue scored for the second game in a row after a double in the win over Myanmar on Saturday to send the Malaysians on their way to victory with Endrick also on target before an own goal by Viengxay Sidavong and a fine free-kick by substitute Wan Kuzain.

Malaysia lead the standings with six points from their opening two matches and will face second-placed Thailand, who did not play on Tuesday, on Saturday while Laos will take on the Philippines.

AFC Grassroots Day 2026 unites Asia’s football communities – Part 3

Wed, 22 Jul, 2026

AFC Grassroots Day 2026 unites Asia’s football communities – Part 3

Kuala Lumpur: The 13th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Grassroots Day brought communities together across the Continent as 45 Member Associations (MAs) celebrated the beautiful game and engaged thousands of participants in a showcase of football's power to inspire, connect and include.

Held annually on May 23, this year's events once again coincided with FIFA's World Football Week, reinforcing the AFC's support for the United Nations' Football for the Goals initiative and its shared commitment to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through football.
 
Join us at the-AFC.com for the third and final part of a series (Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 is here) that highlights how MAs embraced the AFC Grassroots Day 2026 with creativity and enthusiasm.

Group B: Malaysia roar; Thailand cruise

Sat, 25 Jul, 2026

Group B: Malaysia roar; Thailand cruise

Yangon: Two goals in five second-half minutes from captain Paulo Josue earned Malaysia a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Myanmar in Yangon on Saturday as Tan Cheng Hoe’s side made a winning start to Group B in the ASEAN Championship 2026.

Thailand, meanwhile, began their bid to reclaim the title with an impressive 5-0 defeat of Laos.

Preview - Stage set for battle for regional supremacy

Wed, 22 Jul, 2026

Preview - Stage set for battle for regional supremacy

Kuala Lumpur: Southeast Asia’s finest will go all out to achieve glory with Vietnam looking to defend the title won in 2024 when the ASEAN Championship 2026 kicks off on Friday.

Vietnam will have to navigate through a tough Group A comprising fellow AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ qualifiers Singapore and Indonesia with Cambodia and Timor-Leste completing the cast.

In Group B, Thailand head the cast with Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar and Laos also aiming for a spot in the knockout stage.