ASEAN CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP B PREVIEW: FAMILIAR FOES REUNITE BUT IS IT FINALLY INDONESIA'S TIME?

Indonesia and Vietnam will renew their rivalry at the upcoming 2024 ASEAN Championship, where both sides will be regarded among the favourites to advance from Group B. Minh Hoang/Getty Images

If the next fortnight of Group B action at the 2024 ASEAN Championship feels a bit familiar, that is because it will be.

It was not too long ago that Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines were all locking horns in the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup -- which concluded back in June.

On that occasion, it was Indonesia who prevailed as they finished second in Group F to follow Iraq onto the next round, leaving the other two to turn their attentions to qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

As fate would have, the trio all found themselves -- along with Myanmar and Laos -- drawn in Group B of the upcoming ASEAN Championship. Once again, only two can advance to the semifinals.

Based on recent form, Indonesia will be the favourites and it is easy for their supporters to get excited at the prospect that their time has finally come.

After all, despite being one of the region's traditional powerhouses, Indonesia have never tasted ASEAN Championship glory and instead have been the perennial bridesmaids with six runners-up finishes previously.

Nonetheless, given the tournament does not take place during an official FIFA international window, Merah Putih will be without the majority of their Europe-based contingent that has played a significant role in their recent rise.

Despite the obvious immediate gratification of ending a 28-year trophy wait, Indonesia coach Shin Tae-Yong previously hinted that he will use the tournament to prepare for next year's Southeast Asian Games -- where they will be looking to successfully defend a gold medal that was also several painful decades in the making.

His squad selection suggests as much.

With Shin making the final cut to his now 24-man squad on Friday, a staggering 16 players selected are yet to make their international bow.

In fact, only four have more than ten caps to their names with Indonesia's average age for the tournament just 20 years.

Indonesia's last meeting with Philippines was a 2-0 win back in June that sealed their place in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images

In a way, the youthful nature of the team mirrors that from the 2020 edition, when they first showed signs of promise following the appointment of Shin.

Asnawi Mangkualam and Pratama Arhan were both breakout stars from that campaign and will be the senior figures now despite their relative youth, while Marselino Ferdinan -- whose tournament bow came two years ago -- will undoubtedly be their main man in the attacking third.

Indonesia have plenty of raw potential yet, considering this is an experimental side, perhaps their wait to taste ASEAN Championship glory might go on for a while longer.

Maybe, then, it should be Vietnam who are viewed as the dominant force in Group B.

After finishing runners-up last time out, Vietnam look closest to full strength among all the competitors, especially with Thailand and Malaysia also missing key personnel in the other group.

Nguyễn Quang Hải, Nguyễn Văn Toàn, Nguyễn Tiến Linh and Đỗ Duy Mạnh are all seasoned campaigners that were part of the last Vietnam team to win the tournament in 2018.

For a period of time around then, the Vietnamese were well and truly Southeast Asia's top team.

Having since been overtaken by Thailand and now Indonesia, Vietnam will have no shortage of motivation to show they are not going anywhere over the next month.

Another team that will be eager to prove they are not on the decline are Philippines.

After reaching the last four in four out of five editions between 2010 and 2018, they have since failed to make it out of the group stage in their past two attempts.

Philippines are also the only ones that have a significant number of overseas-based players available, including Michael Kempter and Michael Baldisimo who play in the Swiss and American top flights respectively.

While Indonesia have emerged as the leading lights of Southeast Asia at the moment, the fact that they have opted to blood youth as well as the presence of a couple of hungry rivals means it is definitely up in the air as to whether their time to become champions is now.

- Gabriel Tan

THE 2024 ASEAN CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP IS NOW SET - SO HOW ARE THE CONTENDERS SHAPING UP?

The 2024 ASEAN Championship -- which kicks off on Dec. 8 -- will see familiar foes Malaysia and Singapore renew their traditional rivalry, with both drawn in Group A alongside defending champions Thailand, Cambodia and Timor-Leste. Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

On Tuesday, the lineup for the 2024 ASEAN Championship was set in stone.

With Timor-Leste securing a 1-0 aggregate triumph over Brunei Darussalam in the qualifying playoff, the ten teams that will contest Southeast Asia's premier international tournament at the end of the year has now been finalised.

Timor-Leste will slot into Group A, which is headlined by defending champions and record seven-time winners Thailand, while also consisting of Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia.

Meanwhile, Group B is looking equally competitive with Indonesia and Vietnam -- the only two teams from the region to have reached the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup in the two most-recent editions -- leading the way, along with Philippines, Myanmar and Laos.

With the qualifying playoff coinciding with the recent international break, it means that all ten contenders were in action in their penultimate window to finalise preparations before the tournament kicks off on Dec. 8.

Here, we assess where each team stands at the moment with less than two months to go to kickoff.

CAMBODIA

After parting ways with Felix Dalmas last month, Cambodia played their first matches under Koji Gyotoku this past week -- a 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei followed by a 3-0 loss to Hong Kong.

Gyotoku, whose official title is "interim head coach" is no stranger to Cambodian football having been involved in the national youth setup since 2019, taking charge of the U-17, U-21 and U-23 teams at various stages.

In the win over Chinese Taipei, Min Ratanak and Sieng Chanthea provided the goals as the 22-year-olds continue to grow in influence in the team.

INDONESIA

Indonesia continue to give a good account of themselves in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but suffered a first defeat on Tuesday with a 2-1 loss to China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

As Southeast Asia's sole representatives in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Indonesia were the only team -- other than Timor-Leste and Brunei -- to experience competitive action this window.

They continued their run of creditable results last Thursday although they were aggrieved over a late equaliser that saw Bahrain force a 2-2 draw, before suffering a first defeat of the campaign after being beaten 2-1 by China on Tuesday.

Indonesia continue to boosted by the constant influx of Europe-born players of local heritage, with Eredivisie duo Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders the latest to make their international bows.

Although Merah Putih continue to give an excellent account of themselves against some of Asia's powerhouses, it remains to be seen how many of their overseas-based contingent will be available for the ASEAN Championship - which does not fall during an official FIFA international window.

It could leave coach Shin Tae-Yong needing to revert to his Indonesian born-and-bred players, who have served him so well in leading the team's initial resurgence when he arrived.

LAOS

Since being eliminated by Nepal in the first round of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, Laos have not played an official match -- a span which has now reached an entire year.

They are among the teams that have made a recent coaching change, with Ha Hyeok-Jun only appointed in August and tasked with both the senior and U-23 teams.

Laos spent the recent international break on a training camp in Thailand and changing of the guard could be on the cards, with 16 of the 30 players involved uncapped and only two -- Bounphachan Bounkong and Phoutthasay Khochalern -- boasting more than 20 international appearances to their names.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia's 4-0 loss to New Zealand -- captained by Premier League stalwart Chris Wood -- had the silver lining of a first senior cap for Selangor centre-back Harith Haiqal. DJ MILLS/AFP via Getty Images

Malaysia played just one friendly this window -- a 4-0 loss to New Zealand that was hardly an embarrassing result considering the opponents had a notable number of Europe-based players at their disposal, including Premier League stalwart Chris Wood and Serie A man Liberato Cacace.

It did prompt coach Pau Marti -- who was thrusted into the role following the abrupt departure of Kim Pan-Gon -- to apologise for the result, although it must be remembered that his first two games at the helm last month included an impressive 1-0 triumph over Lebanon.

Marti did use the opportunity to hand a first cap to Selangor defender Harith Haiqal, and -- for now -- will have one final friendly to finetune his tactics for the ASEAN Championship when Harimau Malaya play India on Nov. 19.

MYANMAR

Myanmar's latest exploits saw them take on Sri Lanka in back-to-back home matches - which resulted in a 2-0 win and a 0-0 draw.

It was perhaps not the sternest of opposition as, even with Myanmar's lowly FIFA world ranking of 167th, Sri Lanka sit 33 places blow are the second lowest-ranked team in all of Asia - and the 11th-lowest in the world out of 210 teams in the classification.

Myanmar will get a better test of their credentials in November when they meet Singapore on Nov. 15. They were originally meant to face Lebanon four days later, although it remains to be seen if the latter will be available after they had to cancel their commitments this window.

PHILIPPINES

After a 3-0 loss to Thailand, Philippines bounced back to finish third in the King's Cup with a 3-0 victory over Tajikistan -- an impressive result considering the opposition had made a remarkable run to the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup at the start of the year.

It marked new coach Albert Capellas' first matches in charge, after his predecessor Tom Saintfiet left the job just six months after being appointed.

Recent overseas-born additions during the short-lived Saintfiet era in Bjørn Martin Kristensen and Zico Bailey both netted their first international goals, while Bundesliga man Gerrit Holtmann was also on target.

Still, Holtmann is unlikely to be available for the ASEAN Championship - as could be the case with Philippines' nine other Europe-based players, which includes five of the six listed forwards in their latest squad.

SINGAPORE

Singapore tested themselves against formidable opposition in the form of five-time J1 League champions Yokohama F. Marinos -- who fielded a starting XI entirely comprising players involved in the first team setup. Football Association of Singapore

For the second consecutive window, Singapore did not play any international friendlies but instead focused on centralised training -- this time in Japan, where they took on three J1 League clubs in practice matches.

A 2-1 victory over Tokyo Verdy was sandwiched by 4-0 and 7-1 losses to FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos respectively, but it is worth mentioning that all three clubs fielded teams with considerable first-team experience.

In particular, five-time J1 League champions Marinos had a starting XI which boasted ex-Japan internationals Kota Mizunuma and Kazuya Yamamura, as well as Brazilian import Eduardo, while Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura opted to use this clash to blood a plethora of young prospects.

The Lions will finally get some international exposure next month when they entertain Myanmar and Chinese Taipei on Nov. 15 and 19 respectively.

THAILAND

In the landmark 50th edition of the King's Cup, Thailand did disappoint as they won their own annual friendly tournament for the first time since 2017 with an impressive 2-1 win over Syria.

Before the decider, they had beaten Philippines 3-1 in the semifinals as Suphanat Mueanta -- with a brace -- continued his hot run of form with four goals in three international outings before he was kept at bay by the Syrians.

Talismanic playmaker Chanathip Songkrasin also netted in both matches, while there was a first cap for rising Muangthong United star Kakana Khamyok, who started against Philippines.

It is believed that the reigning ASEAN champions will finish their tournament warm-up with friendlies against Lebanon and Yemen in November.

TIMOR-LESTE

The only team featuring at the ASEAN Championship that had to earn this place at the tournament, Timor-Leste's quest began well as they beat Brunei 1-0 in the first leg courtesy of a Gali Freitas winner.

Although they were unable to do the same in the return encounter, a 0-0 draw was still enough to secure a return to the competition after they surprisingly missed out in 2022.

VIETNAM

Vietnam's planned preparations for this window were hampered by Lebanon's withdrawal from a triangular tournament due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

It meant they had just one game to play -- a 1-1 draw with India which saw captain Que Ngoc Hai denied from the penalty spot, although there was a first senior goal for 21-year-old Bùi Vĩ Hào -- one of their standouts at this year's AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

After winning his first game in charge - a 3-2 win World Cup qualifying win over Philippines on June 6 which ended an eight-match losing streak, Kim Sang-Sik is now on his own mini-poor run of form with three losses and a draw from Vietnam's past four outings.

- Gabriel Tan

INDONESIA CONTINUE TO RISE WITH PROGRESS IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS THE LATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Indonesia are through to the third and final round of Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup for the first time after sealing a top-two finish in Group F with Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Philippines. BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images

 Another box ticked, another achievement unlocked.

As Indonesia continue to go from strength to strength under Shin Tae-Yong, their latest accomplishment is arguably their most significant yet.

On Tuesday, with a 2-0 win over Philippines, the Indonesians went through to the third and final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

They have never before got this far, although they did feature at the 1938 World Cup as the Dutch East Indies -- nearing a century ago when qualification for football's biggest stage was a far-less drawn out process.

In fact, only two Asian teams were in the running back then and, even so, the Dutch East Indies qualified automatically after Japan withdrew.

This time, even just to get to the third round of the Asian qualifiers, Indonesia have had been made to work far more.

In fact, Indonesia were one of the lower-ranked nations that actually began their campaign in the first round last October -- where they comfortably cruised through with a 12-0 aggregate victory over Brunei Darussalam.

Come the second round, the luck of the draw did lend a helping hand to the Indonesians.

While the clear favourites in Group F were Iraq, the fact that Indonesia were also pitted against familiar foes in Vietnam and Philippines meant they always had a chance.

Matches among these Southeast Asian teams are often close contests and, while Vietnam was the region's leading light the last time out -- being the only ASEAN outfit to make the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup -- the gap has closed significantly.

In comparision, other Southeast Asian hopefuls like Thailand and Singapore always faced a tougher path to progress coming up against traditional powerhouses South Korea and China, while Myanmar were as good as out from the moment they were handed their fate of Japan, Syria and North Korea.

But, for Indonesia, progress was a realistic aim.

In the end, it boiled down to back-to-back ties against Vietnam in March, where Indonesia would prevail 1-0 and 3-0 respectively -- results which would ultimately go a long way in seeing them finish four points clear of their opponents in second place in the group.

Indonesia's quest to reach the next round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup gathered steam in March when they claimed back-to-back wins over Vietnam, which ultimately proved crucial in the final four-point lead over their opponents. Minh Hoang/Getty Images

Thus continues Indonesia's rise since Shin took over at the helm at the end of 2019.

Earlier this year, they returned to the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 2007 and achieved a maiden knockout round appearance.

Back in April, the U-23 team - also under Shin - remarkably finished fourth in their AFC U-23 Asian Cup debut and then narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification after losing a intercontinental playoff against Guinea.

Last year, the U23s had already claimed the Southeast Asian Games gold medal for the first time since the men's football competition transitioned from a senior to age-group tournament.

Come the end of 2024, Indonesia could even have more joy as they look a genuine chance to win a maiden ASEAN Championship crown following the previous heartbreak of six runners-up finishes.

Of course, the biggest dream remains qualifying for the World Cup.

Indonesia will be under no illusions -- that goal, for now, is closer to being a dream rather than a distinct possibility.

They will face far tougher tests in the third round of Asian qualifiers. Even if there are now eight automatic spots on offer following the World Cup's expansion to 48 teams, a dozen or so teams loom as likelier contenders -- even if usual suspects like Japan, South Korea and Iran are removed from the equation.

Progress, however, can come in many forms. Not solely with reaching the next World Cup as the be all and end all.

Competitive displays against superior opposition could also be the yardstick.

The fact of the matter remains that, having already gotten this far and for all they have shown in recent times, Indonesia are -- well and truly -- firmly on the rise.

- Gabriel Tan 

CRUCIAL EVENING FOR ASEAN HOPEFULS WITH WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION PROGRESS STILL REALISTIC FOR SOME

Despite losing their last two outings against Oman, Malaysia still stand a chance of reaching the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup -- having previously won their opening two ties against Kyrgyz Republic and Chinese Taipei. How Foo Yeen/Getty Images

 As the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup reaches its penultimate match day on Thursday, things are certainly going down to the wire -- especially for the competition's Southeast Asian hopefuls.

All seven of the region's representatives still have a chance of progressing to the next stage and keeping their World Cup dream alive, although some have more legitimate prospects than others.

Here, we take a look at where each of them stand and what they must do in order to advance.

MYANMAR

Bottom of Group B with just one point to their names, Myanmar are still mathematically capable of finishing inside the top two but, based on what they have served up so far, they are the least likely suspects from all of ASEAN's contenders.

The only time they have avoided defeated so far was a remarkable 1-1 draw against Syria, although the fact that they currently have a negative goal difference of 17 highlights the gulf in class between them and the rest of the group.

Myanmar have it all to do -- even on home soil -- against powerhouses Japan on Thursday, before finishing their campaign against a North Korea outfit that is also currently outside the qualification zone and in desperate need of points.

THAILAND

Finding themselves in what has proven to be one of the trickiest groups of the campaign, Thailand currently sit three points behind second-placed China -- who they visit on Thursday in what should be a pivotal tie.

It was a 2-1 loss in their previous clash last November -- a game in which the Thais could, and perhaps should, have won -- that ultimately sealed the fate of former coach Alexandre Polking, even if he was only dismissed after the following match.

Should Thailand be able to pull off an upset, it would put them in a promising position given they finish up against Group C's bottom side Singapore while the Chinese have to play away to heavily-fancied South Korea.

Both Thailand and Singapore can still qualify from Group D of the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup -- although the former stand a better chance as they sit just three points adrift of second-placed China. Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images

SINGAPORE

Like Myanmar, Singapore are yet to be eliminated despite picking up just a solitary point thus far.

But with South Korea being their next immediate assignment on Thursday, the Lions could soon be turning their attentions elsewhere -- especially given they were beaten 5-0 by the same opposition in the reverse encounter.

Singapore then finish up against Thailand next Tuesday, which should offer plenty of incentive regardless of their qualification status -- given their regional rivalry and the fact that both sides have been drawn to meet again at the end of the year in the ASEAN Championship.

MALAYSIA

A campaign that started so bright has now hit a few bumps but Malaysia remain very much in with a shout of progressing to the third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers.

Despite losing their past two Group D games to Oman, Harimau Malaya will now finish up against Kyrgyz Republic and Chinese Taipei -- the two teams they beat previously when they opened their campaign in flawless fashion.

Three points off the pace at the moment, Malaysia will be heavy favourites in next Tuesday's home game against already-eliminated Chinese Taipei -- meaning they would take a huge step towards progressing should they be able to overcome Kyrgyz Republic on Thursday.

INDONESIA

In a Group F that boasts three Southeast Asian hopefuls, it is Indonesia who are currently in pole position to join the already-qualified Iraq in the next round.

Four points ahead of Vietnam in second place, the Indonesians do have a tough test on Thursday against the Iraqis but their recent displays against more-fancied opposition -- coupled with home advantage at the intimidating Gelora Bung Karno Stadium -- will see them believing in their chances of a shock result.

Even if they do lose, Indonesia can guarantee their spot in the next stage as long as they beat Philippines in their final second-round tie next week.

Indonesia head into the final two games of their second-round campaign in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup knowing that a solitary win would be enough to see them finish second in Group F ahead of Vietnam and Philippines. EPA/LUONG THAI LINH

VIETNAM

For a side that did so well to reach the third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers last time out, Vietnam are now at real risk of missing out.

Thursday's home game against Philippines offers a real opportunity to close the gap between them and second-placed Indonesia to just one point -- and it is a game they are expected to pick up maximum points in.

Nonetheless, they face the toughest final-day assignment of the lot in an away trip to Iraq, meaning they might have just left themselves with too much to do at the end.

PHILIPPINES

Bottom of Group F with just one point picked up so far, Philippines -- along with Myanmar and Singapore -- look the least likely to march on.

They have however played both ties against leaders Iraq, meaning they face slightly less-daunting ties against Vietnam and Indonesia over the next six days.

Philippines will still head into those games as the underdogs but the familiarity with those two teams, as well as the additional regional rivals factor, means that anything is possible.

JAPAN PREPARES TO HOST QND THEN TRAVEL TO NORTH KOREA FOR BACK-TO-BACK FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

 Even with the top continental ranking and players of vast international experience, Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad faces a journey into the unknown in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against North Korea.

Asian qualifying resumes Thursday with Japan hosting North Korea in Tokyo. Five days later, Japan will be playing in Pyongyang in front of a potential crowd of 50,000 — almost exclusively North Korean — at the Kim Il Sung Stadium.

The Japan Football Association’s request that the match be moved from the North Korean capital to a neutral venue amid concerns over a lack of operational transparency — including visa and logistics information — was rejected by the Asian Football Confederation.

“There are probably a lot of unexpected things that could happen,” Moriyasu, the Japan coach, said. “We just need to be prepared.″

Japan has tallied 10 goals in its opening two matches against Myanmar and Syria in the second round of Asian qualifying. Back-to-back wins over North Korea, which lost 1-0 to Syria before responding with a 6-1 win over Myanmar, could assure it progresses to the third round as one of the top two teams in Group B.

But Japan's national men's team hasn't played in Pyongyang since a 2011 loss to North Korea in the qualifying stages for the 2014 World Cup.

The last men's international in Pyongyang was back in 2019, when the visiting South Korea team complained about a lack of contact with the outside world and an overly physical approach from the host team.

When Japan beat North Korea at the Asian Games in October, players from the losing team manhandled the referee.