Vietnamese football and its 'fateful rivalry' with Malaysia

20/10/2025 06:55:00 TrophyTracker

The U22 Vietnam team immediately faces their long-time rival U22 Malaysia in the group stage, while hosts Thailand and U22 Indonesia are placed in comparatively easier groups.

Yesterday, on October 19, the SEA Games 33 organizing committee conducted the draw for the football events. Men's football was the most anticipated category. A total of 10 U22 teams will participate in men's football at SEA Games 33, split into 3 groups: two groups of 3 teams and one group of 4 teams.

Group A includes U22 Thailand, U22 Cambodia, and U22 Timor Leste. Group B consists of U22 Vietnam, U22 Malaysia, and U22 Laos. Group C features U22 Indonesia, U22 Myanmar, U22 Philippines, and U22 Singapore. This is the first time the SEA Games men’s football adopts a 3-group format, similar to the Southeast Asian U23 Championship. Only the group winners and the best runner-up advance to the semifinals.

The encounter between U22 Vietnam and Malaysia at this moment is seen as a rivalry full of history. Fundamentally, U22 Vietnam has a fairly high chance to advance since U22 Malaysia and U22 Laos are not very strong. Recall that at the recent U23 Southeast Asian Championship, coach Kim Sang Sik’s team defeated U23 Laos 3-0 en route to their third championship title. Meanwhile, the U23 Malaysia team is weaker than their senior national team. This generation was eliminated from the group stages of both the U23 Southeast Asian Championship and the U23 Asian qualifiers.

In preparation for SEA Games 33, the Vietnam Football Federation proactively developed early preparation plans for the teams. The U22 Vietnam team, the core squad for the SEA Games, trained together with the senior Vietnam team during FIFA Days and participated in two international friendly tournaments — U22 CFA Team China 2024 and 2025 — facing many quality opponents. Promising young players were regularly given opportunities to gain match experience, with several players also participating in the ASEAN Cup 2024.

Most recently, the players trained in the UAE during the October 2025 FIFA Days and played two high-level friendly matches against U23 Qatar. In November, the team is expected to participate in an international tournament in China featuring the host China, U23 Uzbekistan, and U23 South Korea — some of Asia’s strongest teams — which is considered an important step in preparation for SEA Games 33 and the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals.

The Malaysian naturalization scandal from the Malaysia-Vietnam match in June 2025 remains unresolved, yet Vietnamese football will face Malaysia repeatedly at the upcoming SEA Games 33. Photo: Tuan Pham

After winning gold medals at the last two SEA Games (30 and 31), Vietnamese football failed to defend the title at SEA Games 32. Although the SEA Games is a platform for young talents, it always receives special attention from Vietnamese fans because a strong youth foundation is essential for a quality senior national team. Therefore, the men’s football gold at SEA Games 32 remains the target for coach Kim Sang Sik’s team. Previously, the country’s youth football achieved great success in 2025 by winning the U23 Southeast Asian Championship and securing a place at the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals.

Alongside men’s football, other football categories also held their draws on October 19. The Vietnam women’s team was placed in Group B with Myanmar, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Meanwhile, host Thailand will face Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia. This group is considered quite tough for coach Mai Duc Chung’s team, as Myanmar and the Philippines are both strong contenders for the gold medal. The Vietnam women’s team will regroup on October 21 before traveling to Japan for training and international friendlies.

Meanwhile, in men’s futsal, five teams will compete in a single round-robin format, with the highest point scorer winning gold. The participating teams are Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia. In women’s futsal, six teams are divided into two groups: Group A includes host Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines; Group B has Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Both men’s and women’s futsal teams will regroup at the end of October, aiming for the best results at this SEA Games.

It is evident that Vietnamese football has a detailed and specific plan aimed at achieving a successful SEA Games with impressive results across all four football disciplines.

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