According to the draw results in Jakarta on 15/1, Thailand is in group B with: Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos. Group A features defending champions Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, and either Timor Leste or Brunei.

Coach Anthony Hudson replaced Masatada Ishii as Thailand national team coach from 10/2025. *Photo: FAT*

Speaking to Thai media on 16/1, coach Anthony Hudson admitted he felt relieved that the "War Elephants" (Thai national team nickname) avoided two top regional rivals right from the group stage.

"If you look at the other group, there are Indonesia and Vietnam," he said. "In reality, every group is difficult. In our group, every match will be complex and challenging, but if given a choice, this is the group we wanted."

However, the English coach emphasized that Thailand must not be complacent. According to him, all teams in group B are capable of posing difficulties if Thailand is not thoroughly prepared. "We are happy with how the teams are arranged. There will be no easy matches; all will be competitive. But we are pleased with this draw result," Hudson stated.

Meanwhile, coach Carles Cuadrat of the Philippines national team assessed this year's tournament as a challenging yet exciting test for his team. The Spanish coach believes there are no easy opponents, but the Philippines enters the tournament with an optimistic spirit.

"We know this will be a very interesting challenge," Cuadrat said. "Every team can cause difficulties. However, the Philippines believes in its chances and is very excited for the tournament. Thailand always reaches the final rounds, and we met them in the semifinals of the previous tournament, so that will certainly be a highly anticipated match."

Coach Koji Gyotoku at a press conference before the Vietnam - Cambodia match at Go Dau Stadium, Binh Duong on 19/3/2025. *Photo: Duc Dong*

In group A, coach Koji Gyotoku of the Cambodia national team admitted that facing Vietnam and Indonesia makes advancing past the group stage extremely difficult. However, he affirmed that Cambodia still aims to progress deep into the tournament and will make maximum effort in every match.

"Vietnam and Indonesia are both very strong teams," Gyotoku shared. "Our goal is to try to advance, so the entire team must play with the highest spirit. This is not easy, but it is our opportunity. In matches played at home, Cambodia must win. Even when facing Vietnam or Indonesia, we will still strive for victory."

Similarly, coach Gavin Lee of the Singapore national team believes the draw has delivered exciting matchups, living up to expectations for a tough tournament. According to him, this is also a good opportunity for Singapore to build character, aiming for bigger goals in the future.

"There will be many exciting matches," the Singaporean coach expressed. "We determined from the outset that there would be no easy group. In fact, Singapore embraces this challenge with excitement. In our preparation for the tournament, we want to be pushed into difficult situations, to have our capabilities tested, and this draw result has delivered exactly that."

The ASEAN Cup 2026 will take place from 24/7 to 26/8, immediately after the World Cup. The format this time remains similar to recent editions. Teams will play a single round-robin to select the top two teams from each group for the semifinals. In the group stage, each team plays two home and two away matches, alternating from 24/7 to 8/8. The semifinals and final will be played over two legs (home and away) from 15/8 to 26/8.

In the previous 15 editions, Thailand leads with seven championships. Following them are Singapore (4), Vietnam (3), and Malaysia (1). Vietnam is the defending champion, having defeated Thailand with an aggregate score of 5-3 in the two-leg final in 1/2025.

This is the third time the tournament will be held in the summer, following the 1996 and 1998 editions. This is expected to help teams field stronger squads, even though the tournament is not on the FIFA calendar. This is because July and August fall during the pre-season preparation period for club football in the region.

Hong Duy (according to Bola, AFF)