Indonesian media: 'Vietnam's national team will struggle to defend their Southeast Asian championship title because...'

According to Indonesian media, Nguyen Xuan Son's dip in performance is posing a serious risk to Vietnam's hopes of defending the AFF Cup 2026 championship.

Vietnam's campaign to defend their AFF Cup 2026 (ASEAN Championship) crown is facing tough challenges. Placed in Group A alongside Singapore, Cambodia, and especially archrivals Indonesia, coach Kim Sang-sik's squad is under immense pressure. More worrying, Vietnam's primary attacking hope—naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son is experiencing a severe downturn in form, sounding an alarm for the coaching staff.

Closely monitoring the situation of the defending champions, the Bola Sport newspaper from Indonesia recently published an article titled: "Vietnam's naturalized striker falters, concerns over lack of replacement options ahead of AFF Cup...". The newspaper stated that the serious leg fracture suffered by the Brazilian-born forward in the 2024 AFF Cup final was the turning point that caused him to lose his sharpness.

The reality in the domestic league completely matches the analysis from the Indonesian media. Playing for Nam Dinh FC in the 2025/26 season, Xuân Son has been going through a disappointing streak of six straight goalless games. Even though coach Vu Hong Viet proactively gave him rest to save energy for the Shopee Cup, the 1997-born striker was still utterly unable to find the back of the net in both semifinal matches against Selangor, leading to his team's regrettable elimination.

Bola Sport quoted analysis from Vietnamese experts to highlight the crisis: "Vietnam national team striker Nguyen Xuan Son has not yet regained top form since suffering a serious injury in the final of the 2024 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup.

The decline in form of the naturalized Brazilian striker not only affects Nam Dinh's ambitions but also sounds an alarm for the Vietnamese national team."

The newspaper further emphasized: "Although he has recovered and returned to professional play in the second half of the 2025-2026 season, Xuân Son has still not reached peak form. He continues to struggle and feel frustrated when facing opposing defenses."

Xuân Son's decline has exposed a huge void in Vietnam's attack due to the lack of quality replacements. According to data from Transfermarkt, apart from Xuân Son, the only other out-and-out striker for Vietnam is youngster Pham Gia Hung, who has made just four appearances and scored no goals.

Indonesian media pointed out the paradox that foreign players must reside continuously in Vietnam for five years to qualify for naturalization, meaning that by the time they play for the national team, they are older and less physically fit. Xuân Son has only three or four more domestic league matches to rediscover his form before AFF Cup 2026 kicks off at the end of July, presenting coach Kim Sang-sik with an extremely difficult personnel puzzle.