The 16th ASEAN Championship, officially the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026, runs from July 24 to Aug. 26 as the regional club tournament marks its 30th anniversary. The competition features ten teams and moves to a summer window for the first time since 1998.
The group stage uses a single round-robin format from July 24 to Aug. 8, with teams divided into two groups. Each side will play a total of four home-and-away games and the top two in each group advance to the knockout phase. The semifinals and final are scheduled as two-legged ties from Aug. 15 to 26.
Vietnam enter the tournament as defending champions after winning their third title by beating Thailand 5-3 on aggregate in the last edition. Nine nations qualified automatically; the tenth place was decided in June when Timor-Leste defeated Brunei Darussalam over a two-legged playoff.
Group A includes reigning champions Vietnam alongside four-time winners Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and Timor-Leste. Group B features seven-time winners Thailand, 2010 champions Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos. Early results on July 24 saw Singapore beat Cambodia 2-1 and Vietnam defeat Timor-Leste 7-0. The group-stage schedule continues through Aug. 8, with matchdays including fixtures such as Myanmar vs. Malaysia (July 25), Indonesia vs. Cambodia (July 27), Philippines vs. Myanmar (July 28), Thailand vs. Malaysia (Aug. 1), Vietnam vs. Cambodia (Aug. 7) and Malaysia vs. Philippines (Aug. 8).
Live coverage is available across the region. Broadcasters and platforms listed by the organisers include RTB and BTVSPORT in Brunei; BAYON TV in Cambodia; MNC in Indonesia; SKYNET in Myanmar; Cignal in the Philippines; MEDIACORP in Singapore; TRUEVISIONS in Thailand; VTV and FPT Play in Vietnam; and ONEFOOTBALL for territories outside the Asia-Pacific region. The ASEAN United FC YouTube channel is also carrying live action.
