As the 2026 ASEAN Cup gets underway, the tournament's official website, aseanutdfc.com, has expressed confidence that the Vietnamese national team is ready to embark on its title defence campaign.

Xuan Son and Hoang Hen score as Vietnam cruise to a dominant win over Myanmar in a friendly match on July 18.

The ASEAN Cup website quoted captain Nguyen Quang Hai as saying that over the past few weeks, the squad prepared thoroughly in every aspect, including fitness, tactical approach and overall match readiness.

"I believe we're fully prepared for the tournament now. The focus, commitment and quality we've shown in every training session reflect the unity of this team and the hard work we've put in ahead of the competition," said the midfielder, born in 1997.

Vietnam will begin their title defence against Timor-Leste on July 24 at Chonburi Stadium in Thailand. The fixture will be the opening match of Group A, where head coach Kim Sang Sik and his players will compete alongside Timor-Leste, Singapore, Cambodia and Indonesia for one of two semi-final places.

According to the tournament's official website, Group A promises to be highly competitive, featuring defending champions Vietnam, four-time winners Singapore, six-time runners-up Indonesia, as well as Cambodia and Timor-Leste.

Meanwhile, Group B will see the tournament's most successful team, Thailand, begin their bid for an eighth title against hosts Laos, while Malaysia will open their campaign away to Myanmar.

Under the competition format, the top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be played over two legs on August 15, 16, 18 and 19, before the two-legged final takes place on August 23 and 26.

As the reigning champions and with a squad widely regarded as possessing greater depth than the one that lifted the trophy in 2024, Vietnam now has the opportunity to make history by becoming the first team ever to successfully defend the ASEAN Cup title in 2026.

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