When does the ASEAN Cup 2026 take place?

The ASEAN Cup 2026, also referred to as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026/ASEAN Championship 2026, is set to begin on July 24, 2026, and conclude on August 26, 2026.

When does the ASEAN Cup 2024 take place?

The ASEAN Cup 2026 will start on July 24, 2026, with group stage matches and end on August 26, 2026, after the second leg of the final. Specifically:

Group stage: From July 24, 2026, to August 8, 2026

Semi-finals:

First leg: August 15, 2026, and August 16, 2026

Second leg: August 18, 2026, and August 19, 2026

Final:

First leg: August 22, 2026

Second leg: August 26, 2026

Where will the ASEAN Cup 2026 be held?

The AFF Cup 2026 will continue to use the home-and-away format as in the 2018, 2022, and 2024 editions. Each team will play two home matches and two away matches in the group stage, according to the schedule arranged by the AFF.

The semi-finals and final will be played over two legs, including one home leg and one away leg. This gives fans in each country the opportunity to directly support their team at home, while maintaining fairness in the knockout matches.

According to the schedule, the Vietnam national team will kick off the tournament with an away match against Timor Leste, who have chosen Chonburi (Thailand) as their home ground, on July 24. After that, Kim Sang Sik's team will face Singapore (My Dinh, July 31), Indonesia (Pakansari, August 3), and Cambodia (My Dinh, August 7).

What is the format of the ASEAN Cup 2026?

Number of participating teams: 10 teams, divided into two groups.

Group A: Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Timor Leste

Group B: Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, Laos

Group stage: Teams play a single round-robin (each team plays 4 matches), with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals and final: Played in a home-and-away format with two legs.

VAR: After its first introduction in 2024, VAR will be used in all matches of the ASEAN Cup 2026, aiming to further improve the quality of the tournament.