ASEAN Championship 2026 semi-finals: Southeast Asia’s premier men’s international competition, the ASEAN Championship is gearing up for the semi-final stage. The 16th edition of the tournament began on July 24 with Singapore’s win over Cambodia.
19 matches later, the number of teams is down from 10 to four, as we get close to crowning the champion. In 20 games played so far, the ASEAN Championship has provided many thrills, with 70 goals being scored at an average of 3.5 per match. With the semi-finals lineup consisting of four former champions, fireworks will be expected.
With the two-legged semi-finals kicking off on August 15, Curva Global gives you an update on what’s to come.
Which teams have made it to the ASEAN Championship semi-finals?
Ten teams were divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing. In Group A, defending champions Vietnam started in emphatic fashion, thrashing Timor-Leste 7-0. Singapore also recorded an opening day win over Cambodia.
Indonesia then made a strong start with a 5-1 win against Cambodia, and it was clear that the race for the top two would be between them, Singapore, and Vietnam.
However, Indonesia’s 3-0 defeat to Vietnam, followed by a draw against Singapore, ended their hopes. As such, Group A saw Singapore and Vietnam progress.
Things were much more straightforward in Group B. The most successful team in the competition’s history, Thailand, began with a big 5-0 win over Laos. The War Elephants won the rest of their group games to reach the last four.
Malaysia were seen as favourites behind them, but their progress was threatened by Myanmar, who recorded some big wins. In the end, they fell to a defeat to Thailand and Harimau Malaya’s progress was secured with a narrow win over the Philippines to complete the semi-final lineup.
ASEAN Championship semi-final fixtures and schedule
The format of the ASEAN Championship means that both semi-finals will be contested over two legs. The team topping the group will play the second leg at home. Notably, the away goals rule will not apply for the two-legged semi-finals and final.
The first semi-final will take place on August 15 between Singapore and Thailand. The matchup is a big one as it pits two of the most successful teams in the history of the ASEAN Championship against each other. The Lions have won the competition four times, with their last triumph coming in 2012.
Thailand have seven titles to their name, with the most recent win in 2022. The game will take place at Jalan Besar Stadium at 9 pm Singapore time (SGT). The return leg will take place at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on August 18.
The second semi-final will see Vietnam travel to Malaysia for the first leg on August 16. Harimau Malaya have won the ASEAN Championship title once in 2010. The game takes place at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, at 9 pm Malaysian time (MYT).
The second leg of this tie is scheduled for August 19 at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi. The Golden Star Warriors have won the regional tournament three times and are the current defending champions.
Where to watch ASEAN Championship semi-finals?
As with the group stages, every semi-final game will be shown on broadcast or stream in all participating nations except for Malaysia. Fans in China and South Korea can watch the semis through the exclusive TV and streaming deals in their country.
European wanting a taste of more international football before major leagues kick off can stream it on the OneFootball app. The rest of the fans across the globe can simply access the games on ASEANUTDFC, the official YouTube home of ASEAN football, for free.
Here is a list of where you can watch the games in your respective region or country.
BRUNEI
- BTV Sport (Facebook)
- Radio Television Brunei (RTB TV)
- ASEAN UTD FC (Facebook, YouTube)
CAMBODIA
- Bayon TV (BTV News)
- BTV Sport (Facebook, Instagram)
INDONESIA
- MNC, RCTI, GTV, iNews (TV)
- Vision+ (OTT)
- SportsStars on Indovision and K-Vision (Pay TV)
- RCTI Sports (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@RCTISports/streams
- iNews Premium Sports (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@iNewsPremiumSports
- Zona Juara Sports (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@ZonaJuaraSports
LAOS
- BTV Sport (Facebook)
- ASEAN UTD FC (Facebook, YouTube)
MYANMAR
- Skynet TV Sports-3
- ASEAN UTD FC (Facebook, YouTube)
PHILIPPINES
- PH Football Federation (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/phifootballfederation
- Cignal TV – OneSports, OneSports+
SINGAPORE
- Mediacorp – Channel 5 (TV)
- meWatch (OTT)
THAILAND
- TrueVisions – TrueSports 2, True Premier Football Channel
TIMOR-LESTE
- BTV Sport (Facebook)
- ASEAN UTD FC (Facebook, YouTube)
VIETNAM
- FPT Play (IPTV/OTT)
- FPT BongdaViet (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@FPTBongDaViet
- FPT BongdaOfficial (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@FPTBongDaOfficial
- Giacmovodich (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@giacmovodich
- VTV6 (TV)
CHINA
- Qiujing (Douyin)
SOUTH KOREA
- SPOTV (TV)
REST OF THE WORLD
- OneFootball (ex-APAC) (OTT)
- ASEAN UTD FC (Facebook, YouTube)
