Cambodia beat Timor-Leste 3-0 in Phnom Penh on Monday for their first win of the 2026 ASEAN Championship, but remain eliminated from a Group A they cannot escape. Defending champions Vietnam, who had been at risk, won 3-0 away to Indonesia the same evening and now top the group.
It is the sixth consecutive edition in which Cambodia have gone out at the group stage, and the eleventh overall. They lost 2-1 to Singapore on the opening matchday and 5-1 away to Indonesia.
Why can Cambodia no longer qualify?
Only the top two in each group reach the semi-finals. Cambodia have no points from two matches and a maximum of six available from their remaining fixtures, while Singapore already hold seven and Indonesia six with games in hand.
Timor-Leste are also out, having lost all three of their matches without scoring: 7-0 to Vietnam, 2-0 to Singapore and 3-0 to Indonesia. They are the only side in the tournament yet to score. The two countries have met once before at this tournament, in the 2024 group stage, when Cambodia won 2-1.
What is at stake for Vietnam?
Tournament organisers described Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik as facing a do-or-die task against Indonesia in Bogor, with the defending champions seeking to avoid early elimination.
Vietnam have four points from two matches and have yet to concede a goal, but their goalless draw with Singapore ended a fifteen-match winning run across all competitions. Indonesia have won their last four, including a 5-1 defeat of Cambodia in which Mitchell Baker scored a hat-trick.
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vietnam | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Singapore | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Indonesia | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Cambodia | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | Timor-Leste | 4 | 0 |
Has Cambodia been knocked out of the 2026 ASEAN Championship?
Cambodia were eliminated from the 2026 ASEAN Championship at the group stage after losing both of their opening Group A matches, 2-1 to Singapore on 24 July and 5-1 to Indonesia on 27 July. With no points from two matches and a maximum of six still available, Cambodia cannot reach the top two places that qualify for the semi-finals, because Singapore already hold seven points and Indonesia six. It is the sixth consecutive edition and the eleventh in total in which Cambodia have exited in the first round. Cambodia host Timor-Leste, also eliminated, in Phnom Penh on Monday 3 August, and travel to Hanoi to face defending champions Vietnam on 7 August. Cambodia are coached by Koji Gyotoku and have never progressed beyond the group stage of the tournament.
How does the group finish?
Indonesia can secure a semi-final place with a win over Vietnam, which would be their first appearance in the last four since 2022. They have finished runners-up six times without winning the tournament.
The final round of Group A matches on 7 August will be played simultaneously, with Vietnam hosting Cambodia in Hanoi and Singapore meeting Indonesia. Singapore are playing home fixtures at Jalan Besar Stadium because the National Stadium is reserved for the National Day Parade on 9 August.
Group B concludes on 8 August, with Thailand facing Myanmar and Malaysia meeting the Philippines. Record seven-time winners Thailand and 2010 champions Malaysia have both won their opening fixtures in that group.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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