The Southeast Asian sides will take part in the qualification round alongside 33 other teams from across Asia to vie for 15 available spots in the final tournament, scheduled to be held early next year.

Of the 11 Southeast Asian nations, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Cambodia will play host to their separate group matches.

Notably, several teams from the region will face off against familiar opponents. For instance, Vietnam will play Singapore in Group C; Thailand will take on Malaysia in Group F, and Indonesia will meet Laos in Group J.

Meanwhile, Cambodia have been drawn into a challenging group alongside Iraq, Oman, and Pakistan. Myanmar face an even tougher task, with matches against defending champions Japan, as well as Afghanistan and Kuwait.

Three Southeast Asian teams—the Philippines, Brunei, and Timor Leste—will travel outside the region for their qualifying campaigns. The Philippines will head to Tajikistan, where they will face the hosts along with Syria and Nepal. Timor Leste will compete in Xi’an, China, against Australia and the Northern Mariana Islands. Brunei face the longest journey, traveling to Qatar to take on Qatar, Bahrain, and India.

According to regional football analysts, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia are considered the strongest contenders from Southeast Asia to qualify for the final tournament.

Vietnam have been drawn in Group H, alongside Yemen, Singapore and Bangladesh. Group matches will take place at 4p.m. and 7p.m. on September 3, 6 and 9.

Players begin training for 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers

VOV.VN - The Vietnamese national futsal team have gathered in Ho Chi Minh City for their first training camp ahead of the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers, scheduled from September 16 to 24.