Vietnam will face the Philippines at 19:30 on Saturday, 26/9.

Carles Cuadrat arrived at the press conference room at Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung about 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. The Spanish tactician expressed his excitement for the FIFA ASEAN Cup. He noted that previous friendly matches and the recent ASEAN Cup 2026 did not fall within FIFA Days, preventing the Philippines from assembling their best players, relying instead on an U23 squad. This time, he confirmed, he has his top players available.

Coach Carles Cuadrat at a press conference before the Vietnam - Philippines match in Group B, FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, at Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung, Indonesia, on the afternoon of 25/9. *Photo: Duc Dong*

"We are confident, having assembled our best squad. Despite the absence of Raphael Obermair and Gary Coleman, both playing in Germany for different reasons, we are excited and confident in achieving a positive result against our group opponents," Cuadrat stated.

The coach, born in 1978, also praised Vietnam for consistently bringing their strongest lineup to tournaments. "Vietnam has won two consecutive ASEAN Cups. I recognize that having most players from the domestic league is an advantage for Vietnam. When players compete in the local league, you have more control over scheduling. You can have more days to gather the national team and organize training camps," Cuadrat explained.

In contrast to Vietnam, the Philippines has only one player currently competing domestically: defender Daisuke Sato of One Taguig FC. The remaining players are based abroad, with two in the US and 8 from Europe. This situation arises because football is not a popular sport in the Philippines, leading to a lack of appeal in youth development and the organization of national championships.

However, Cuadrat refused to use Vietnam's squad advantage or the limited preparation time as an excuse. He affirmed that his team comprises top professional players who will adapt quickly. "I come from Spain, and as you know, the Spanish national team is a world champion. But they also only have about two days of training during each national team camp before playing. So, it's the same for us. We do not have much time to train, but our players are intelligent, capable of reading the game, and have played football for a long time," he said.

The Philippines ranks 135th in FIFA, while Vietnam is 98th. According to Cuadrat, this ranking difference suggests Vietnam is a championship contender. However, this does not deter him. "We know Vietnam is highly rated, but we are not afraid," he declared. "We will not just try to defend and bunker down for a 0-0 draw. We are a team that likes to play football, and we will play competitively with the ball to achieve our goals."

The FIFA ASEAN Cup was established after the ASEAN Council and FIFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Malaysia in October 2025, during the 47th ASEAN Summit. The tournament is held within the new expanded FIFA Days window, effective from 2026. This new schedule combines national team training camps in September and October into a three-week period (from 21/9 to 6/10).

Duc Dong