Vietnam national team aims for a third consecutive Asean Cup final appearance.

Vietnam's path to retain the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup title proceeds with a fixture against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur at 8:00 PM on August 16. Coach Kim Sang Sik is focusing on utilizing the team's depth and quality to guide Vietnam into the final for the third consecutive time.

According to Asean, the South Korean tactician, who aims to become the first coach to lead Vietnam to back-to-back titles, has managed a 25-player squad very effectively throughout the group stage. The Golden Star Warriors dropped only two points in four matches over 15 days and scored 13 goals, the highest among all participating teams.

"From the very start of the tournament, we knew we had to plan to use different lineups for each match," Coach Kim stated. "In every game, we had to pick the lineup best suited to the opponent and the specific circumstances.

When new players are introduced into the lineup, they must understand how to coordinate and work within the team. Our goal is to create an environment in the squad where every player can bring out their best abilities."

Vietnam finished Group A with two points more than Singapore and will face Malaysia, who lost only one of four matches in Group B to finish second behind Thailand, thus reaching the semifinals for the second time in the last three editions.

The two teams will meet in the first leg at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium. Malaysia's coach Tan Cheng Hoe aims to gain an advantage over Vietnam in his quest for a first final appearance since 2018.

Tan was also the coach who led Malaysia to that final. The former Selangor FC and Kedah FC manager once again plays a key role in reviving the Malaysian team after taking over just weeks after Peter Cklamovski's departure. Malaysia has drawn one and lost five of their last six meetings with Vietnam in this prestigious tournament.

"Vietnam are the favorites, and we are the underdogs," Tan said. "The players have nothing to lose. When facing Vietnam, we need to enjoy this moment. Hopefully another full stadium will give the team extra strength."

Meanwhile, seven-time champions Thailand will be away to Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday. This is a clash between two football nations that have won a combined 11 ASEAN Championship titles in the tournament's 30-year history.

Thailand enter the first leg with confidence, having beaten the Lions in all six encounters at the ASEAN Championship, including their last three away visits to the island nation.

Anthony Hudson's team impressed throughout the group stage despite the coach's rotation policy. The War Elephants successively defeated Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Laos without conceding a goal, becoming the only team in the 16th edition to keep a clean sheet.

"I feel we are gradually building an understanding of how we want to approach matches," Hudson said after his team beat Myanmar 2-0 to finish Group B at the top with a perfect record.

Singapore, who have won the title four times but not since 2012, defied early predictions to reach the semifinals after advancing from a group featuring Vietnam and Indonesia. Coach Gavin Lee believes the players' self-belief is the key factor behind their performances since the start of the tournament.

"As we have said many times, this group of players hasn't always received much belief from outside," he said. "If we don't believe in ourselves, then nobody else will. The situation was similar when we entered this tournament.

Therefore, we focus our attention on what we can control, which is ourselves and our own performance."

The Lions opened their campaign with a thrilling victory over Cambodia thanks to a spectacular strike from Ilhan Fandi in stoppage time. Then, hard-fought draws against Vietnam and Indonesia helped Singapore advance, also showing the challenges awaiting Hudson's team.

The return legs will take place at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok next Tuesday, with Thailand hosting Singapore, while Vietnam will welcome Malaysia at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Wednesday.

The two winning teams after the two-legged semifinals will advance to the final, which is also played on a home-and-away basis. The first leg of the final will be on August 22, and the second leg on August 26.