Thailand-based Seasia Goal highlighted Vietnam’s growing dominance, writing on social media: “Vietnam’s dominance continues. With this victory, they now hold the record for the most titles in the tournament’s history with four championships.”

The outlet also noted that Vietnam now lead the all-time standings, ahead of Thailand and Australia (three titles each), while Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia have each won the tournament once.

Regional platform ASEAN Football congratulated Vietnam and described the result as a reflection of the country’s growing strength in youth football. The outlet added that the team’s victory marked its fourth regional title and extended an impressive unbeaten run of around 20 matches since 2025.

Indonesian outlet Superball described the result as expected, pointing to Vietnam’s earlier 4–0 win over Malaysia in the group stage:

“Malaysia struggled to build play and lost composure under Vietnam’s controlled style. Despite several saves from goalkeeper Adam Nurfakrullah, he could not prevent defeat,” Superball noted.

The Asian Football Confederation, via its official channel for the AFC Asian Cup, praised Vietnam’s achievement and described the team’s campaign as well deserved.

Meanwhile, Malaysian newspaper Harian Metro reported disappointment over the loss, noting that Malaysia were unable to avenge their earlier defeat to Vietnam.

The report pointed to a lack of concentration early in the match, when Vietnam opened the scoring in the 11th minute through Dao Quy Vuong following a corner. It added that Malaysia attempted to respond but were hindered by inexperience, while Vietnam’s tactical discipline and physical advantage proved decisive.

However, the outlet said that Malaysia fielded a very young squad, including players from U16 and even U15 levels, and suggested that reaching the final was already a promising achievement for the future development of the team.

Similarly, New Straits Times described Vietnam as the stronger side in the final, noting that Malaysia had aimed to cause an upset but were ultimately outplayed.

In the final on April 24, Vietnam secured a convincing 3–0 victory, with goals from Dao Quy Vuong and a brace by Nguyen Van Duong.

Under head coach Cristiano Roland, Vietnam completed the tournament unbeaten in five matches, scoring 19 goals and conceding just once.

The triumph marks Vietnam’s fourth AFF U17 title, making them the most successful team in the competition’s history and reinforcing their status as a leading force in Southeast Asian youth football.

Vietnam beat Malaysia 3-0 to win ASEAN U17 Boys' Championship 2026

VOV.VN - Vietnam U17 defeated Malaysia U17 3-0 in the final at Gelora Delta Stadium in Gresik, Indonesia on April 24 to win the ASEAN U17 Boys' Championship 2026.