Vietnam's national team receives a major warning ahead of the ASEAN Championship 2026

Malaysia changes its coach, and both Thailand and Indonesia are devising plans with strong lineups, revealing their resolve to overthrow Vietnam's reign in the 2026 ASEAN Championship.

With only a few weeks left until the official start of the 2026 ASEAN Championship, the Vietnamese team is already facing a series of worrying signals from direct rivals. From Malaysia to Thailand and Indonesia, each is preparing its own strategies with a shared objective: To dethrone the reigning champions led by coach Kim Sang-sik.

Most notably, the Malaysian Football Association decided to appoint Tan Cheng Hoe as interim head coach, replacing Peter Cklamovski. He is no stranger to Southeast Asian fans, having previously guided the Malayan Tigers to the 2018 AFF Cup final where they narrowly lost to Park Hang-seo's Vietnam team with an aggregate score of 2-3.

Although they no longer possess the group of naturalized players that once sparked debate, Malaysia is still considered a tough opponent due to Tan Cheng Hoe's experience. The 57-year-old strategist is expected to help the team adopt a pragmatic style, an effective counter-attacking defense, and make full use of his deep knowledge of regional football.

Meanwhile, Thailand remains a heavyweight contender for the title, even though it is highly likely they will be unable to call up players based in Europe since the tournament falls outside FIFA Days. Nevertheless, the War Elephants still have many quality assets, notably striker Jude Soonsup-Bell who was trained at Chelsea. The 22-year-old forward hasn't found a new club after leaving Grimsby Town, which makes his participation in the 2026 ASEAN Championship very likely.

Indonesia is also not to be outdone. Despite facing difficulties in calling up players currently playing in Europe, the archipelago nation still possesses a quality naturalized force playing domestically, such as Thom Haye, Ivar Jenner, Shayne Pattynama, Eliano Reijnders, and Jens Raven. These are all players who grew up in European football environments and are expected to make a difference.

Notably, both Indonesia's coach John Herdman and Thailand's coach Anthony Hudson have publicly declared their highest goal is winning the 2026 ASEAN Championship. This means toppling the throne of Vietnam's team will become the primary objective for every opponent.

With Malaysia changing its coach, Thailand holding many quality cards, and Indonesia continuing to strengthen its squad with naturalized players, Vietnam's journey to defend its crown is predicted to be far more challenging than the previous edition. The 2026 ASEAN Championship therefore promises to be one of the fiercest tournaments in Southeast Asian football history.