JAKARTA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Defending champions Vietnam will face four-times winners Singapore as well as Indonesia, Cambodia and either Brunei or Timor-Leste in Group A of the 2026 ASEAN Championship following the draw for the group phase in Jakarta on Thursday.
Thailand, who have claimed the title on a record seven occasions and lost to Vietnam in the 2024 final, will headline Group B, where they will take on 2010 winners Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos.
"There will be no easy games, all the teams are very competitive but we're really pleased with the draw," said Thailand coach Anthony Hudson.
"We're in a group where all the games will be complicated and tough but if we had to pick a group, this is what we would pick."
Timor-Leste and Brunei will face off in a home-and-away playoff in June to determine the final qualifier for the group phase, which will kick off on July 24.
Teams will play one another on a home-or-away basis until Aug. 8 with the first two finishers in each group progressing to the semi-finals.
The first legs of the semi-finals will be played on Aug. 15 and 16 with the returns on Aug. 18 and 19. The final will be played over two legs on Aug. 23 and 26.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Toby Davis)
