FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom will attend the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final between Vietnam and Thailand at Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium on Wednesday, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said.
Infantino’s visit marks another appearance at a major Southeast Asian football event, having most recently attended the second leg of the 2022 AFF Cup final between Thailand and Vietnam at Thailand’s Thammasat Stadium in January 2023.
His presence in Hanoi highlights FIFA’s continued interest in the development of football across Southeast Asia, with the region’s national teams, youth programmes, infrastructure and international competitions continuing to grow.
For Vietnam, however, the spotlight will be firmly on the pitch as the defending champions look to secure back-to-back ASEAN Cup titles under head coach Kim Sang-sik.
Vietnam hold a strong advantage heading into the decisive second leg after beating Thailand 2-0 at Rajamangala Stadium on Aug 22. Nguyen Hai Long and Nguyen Quang Hai scored in the first leg to put Vietnam within touching distance of retaining the title.
The return leg at My Dinh is expected to draw significant attention as Vietnam attempt to complete the job on home soil, while Thailand face the difficult task of overturning a two-goal deficit.
