As the year draws to a close, six events stand out as the defining chapters of an unforgettable twelve months of ASEAN football.
Vietnam reclaims the throne at ASEAN Cup
The year began with a bang as the Vietnam national team, under the guidance of head coach Kim Sang-sik, reclaimed the regional throne by defeating rivals Thailand in the 2024 ASEAN Cup final. Vietnam won 2-1 in the first leg at home and beat Thailand 3-2 in a dramatic second leg in Bangkok.
After a period of recession and the departure of coach Philippe Troussier, the Golden Star Warriors went through a total makeover and presented a new playing style that neutralized Thailand’s possession game. A star was also born at the tournament, with Vietnam naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son netting seven goals, including two in the final and became the MVP.
The victory not only restored Vietnam's status as the region's top team but also marked the first piece of silverware for coach Kim, starting a dominant year for Vietnamese football.
Vietnam's domination at ASEAN U23 Championship
The ASEAN U23 Championship final in July featured a highly anticipated clash between Vietnam and hosts Indonesia, a match was built up with tension following previous heated encounters. This time, Vietnam emerged victorious, denying Indonesia a title at home with the only goal by Nguyen Cong Phuong. This is the third consecutive ASEAN U23 title of Vietnam.
The win mark the second title in 2025 for coach Kim Sang-sik, who utilized the tournament to form a squad that would later become the core of his SEA Games team that went on to win gold at the end the year.
For Indonesia, the defeat raised questions about the quality of their youth squad, which did not have foreign-born naturalized players like the national team. However, this was just the start to a frustrating end for Indonesian football this year.
Indonesia's World Cup dream shattered
While Vietnam celebrated regional success, Indonesia set their sights on the global stage. Bolstered by a squad of high-profile naturalized players from Europe, Indonesia entered the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers with confident, beating higher-rated teams like China and Saudi Arabia to peak fourth in Group C, which did not give them the direct World Cup ticket but was enough to make the fourth round of the qualifiers.
However, following a controversial mangerial change, which replaced coach Shin Tae-yong with the less-experienced Dutch coach Patrick Kluivert, things started going south quickly for Indonesia. In the fourth round, they met Saudi Arabia again but lost 2-3 this time before trailing 0-1 to Iraq, ending the campaign in heartbreak.
After the failure, Kluivert was sacked and the national head coach position is still vacant at the moment.
FIFA sanctions Malaysia in player eligibility scandal
In September, a dark cloud descended over Malaysian football. During the qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup, FIFA launched an investigation into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAT) regarding the document falsification of seven naturalized players -- Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Hector Hevel and Joao Figueireido.
The scandal began when serious errors were found between birth certificates submitted by FAM and the originals collected by FIFA, which reportedly showed the players' grandparents were not born in Malaysia. These players were featured in Malaysia's two victories against Nepal (1-0) and Vietnam (4-0) at the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
As a result, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (US$432,700). The seven players involved were each fined 2,000 Swiss francs and banned from all football activities for 12 months, effective from Sept. 26. FAM’s appeal to FIFA was later rejected and they took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as the final attempt to overturn the sanctions.
While Malaysia are still allowed to play the remaining matches of the Asian Cup qualifiers, they could face 0-3 forfeit defeats if they fail in the legal battle with FIFA.
Singapore’s historic return to Asian Cup
Amidst the drama surrounding their neighbors, Singapore produced a big win. The Lions had a remarkable campaign in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. In a decisive match that Singapore and Hong Kong were tied at the top with eight points each, which ever team win the showdown would secure qualification. Singapore conceded first, but fought relentlessly to complete the comeback in dramatic fashion as they scored two goals to beat Hong Kong 2-1.
The 2027 Asian Cup qualification meant the world for Singapore. The last time they played in the Asian Cup was in 1984 as hosts, bowing out in the group stage. They have not qualified for any major continental or global tournament since.
Thailand's total football failure at SEA Games
The year concluded with an outstanding failure for Thailand, a region’s football powerhouse. Hosting the 33rd SEA Games in December, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) publicly targeted a clean sweep of all four gold medals in men's and women's football, and men's and women's futsal. However, they finished with zero.
The disaster unfolded across all fronts. The women’s football team lost to the Philippines in the semi-final after penalty shootout. The women’s futsal team’s suffered a shocking semi-final loss to Indonesia, also on penalties. The men’s football team fumbled a 2-0 lead to lose the final 2-3 against Vietnam, conceding in extra time. The men’s futsal final was the most surprising, where Thailand, previously undefeated in SEA Games history, was humiliated 1-6 by Indonesia and lost the gold medal for the first time ever.
For Thailand, a nation that has historically dominated the region, winning 16 of 34 men's football events and 5 of 14 women's gold medals, the 33rd SEA Games marked a disappointed chapter in their football history.
Hoang Nguyen
