BREAKING: Vietnam national team holds its breath awaiting the final verdict at the AFF Cup

As of now, the Vietnam national team remains uncertain about the venue for their first game in the AFF Cup 2026.

Timor Leste has become the final team to secure a spot in Group A of the Southeast Asian Football Championship (AFF Cup 2026) after defeating Brunei 6-1 on aggregate over two playoff legs. With a 6-1 aggregate victory in the playoff tie, Timor Leste officially earned their place in the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026. This team will be placed in Group A alongside Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Singapore.

According to the schedule, Vietnam will face Timor Leste in their Group A opener, set to take place on July 24. This match will also mark the beginning of coach Kim Sang Sik’s squad's campaign to defend their Southeast Asian title at the ASEAN Cup 2026. However, it is still unclear which stadium Vietnam will play in for this opening fixture.

The reason is that Timor Leste still lacks any stadium meeting the standards of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) to host a match in the AFF Cup 2026. During the recent playoff second leg against Brunei, Timor Leste had to borrow Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Stadium. In previous editions of the AFF Cup, Timor Leste has always relied on rented venues.

In the AFF Cup 2024, Timor Leste chose Vietnam’s Hang Day Stadium to play their home group-stage matches in Group A against Thailand and Singapore. In the AFF Cup 2018, Timor Leste also borrowed a stadium in Malaysia for their home games, as their main venue, Dili Municipal Stadium, still failed to meet the required standards after inspection.

Thus, Vietnam will have to wait until Timor Leste rents a stadium and submits the registration to the ASEAN Football Federation before learning which away venue they will play at in their opening match of the AFF Cup 2026. Although Timor Leste used Hang Day Stadium in the AFF Cup 2024, given that they are now opponents in the AFF Cup 2026, it is highly unlikely that Timor Leste would give Vietnam the home advantage.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has registered My Dinh Stadium as their home ground for the AFF Cup 2026, after using Viet Tri Stadium as their home venue in the previous edition. It is expected that My Dinh Stadium will undergo renovation and upgrade work before hosting matches in the AFF Cup 2026.