Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore in same AFF Cup group

By Quang Huy August 30, 2022 | 04:21 pm PT

Nguyen Quang Hai (number 19) after scoring for Vietnam in the AFF Cup group stage game against Malaysia in the 2021 AFF Cup. Photo by Leo Shengwei

Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos and Myanmar have been drawn in group B for the 2022 AFF Cup held late this year and early next year.

The draw, which took place Tuesday, puts Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and the winner in the playoff between Timor Leste and Brunei in group A.

Group A is considered a tougher draw as Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia will vie for the two slots in the semifinals.

The highlight of group B will be the encounter between Vietnam and Malaysia. This is the third consecutive AFF Cup that these two teams are in the same group. In 2016, Vietnam won 1-0, then 2-0 in 2018 and 3-0 in 2021.

A screenshot shows the final draw results of two groups at the 2022 AFF Cup.

The 2022 AFF Cup will take place from December 23, 2022 to January 15, 2023. Instead of hosting all games in a centralized location, the tournament will go back to the old format. In the group stage, each team will play two home games and two away games. Vietnam will play Malaysia and Myanmar at home and go to Laos and Singapore for the away games.

At the conclusion of the draw, AFF President Khiev Sameth said: "We are glad to have finalized the dates of the 2022 AFF Cup and the official groupings for all the teams. ASEAN fans will have much to look forward to following today's draw, with all the exciting matchups in the respective group matches.

"We are in for a thrilling and competitive tournament. I am confident that the 2022 AFF Cup will surpass all expectations, both on and off the field, and emerge as the best edition yet."