Vietnam's national team has finalized its home stadium for the 2026 AFF Cup, which is not Việt Trì.

The VFF has chosen Mỹ Đình Stadium to serve as the home ground for Vietnam's national team during the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

According to Tuổi Trẻ newspaper, on June 4, the VFF held a meeting with the management board of the Mỹ Đình National Sports Complex and reached a preliminary agreement to lease Mỹ Đình Stadium for hosting Vietnam's home matches in the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

As planned, before the tournament begins, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) will conduct an inspection of Mỹ Đình Stadium to evaluate the hosting conditions and ensure the venue meets all required standards.

In the group stage of the 2026 ASEAN Cup, Vietnam will play two home matches at Mỹ Đình Stadium. Specifically, coach Kim Sang Sik's side will face Singapore on July 31 and Cambodia on August 7. If they advance further, the team will also continue to use Mỹ Đình for the semifinals and finals.

The return to Mỹ Đình is seen as a notable change compared to the most recent ASEAN Cup. During their victorious 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign, Vietnam chose Việt Trì Stadium (Phú Thọ) as their home ground. There, Xuân Son and his teammates maintained a perfect home record, providing a crucial foundation for winning the regional championship.

However, with a capacity of over 40,000 seats, Mỹ Đình Stadium offers a significant advantage in terms of audience numbers. This is nearly double that of Việt Trì Stadium, which has only about 20,000 seats. This is expected to create an electrifying atmosphere and provide extra motivation for Vietnam in crucial matches.

The last time Vietnam played at Mỹ Đình was during the FIFA Days in September 2024 at the Tam Hùng international friendly tournament featuring Thailand and Russia. After that, the team continuously played at various other venues such as Việt Trì, Thiên Trường, and stadiums like Gò Đậu and Thống Nhất.

Another positive sign is that Mỹ Đình Stadium has just completed its turf renovation process and its subsurface infrastructure was upgraded this past May. In recent years, the national stadium has frequently hosted cultural and entertainment events, which degraded the pitch quality and drew mixed opinions. The comprehensive upgrade is expected to prepare Mỹ Đình for top-level matches of the national team.

Regarding preparations for the 2026 ASEAN Cup, coach Kim Sang Sik and his staff have compiled a preliminary squad list and plan to finalize it next week. At the end of this month, Vietnam will travel to South Korea for a training camp. There, the team is scheduled to play friendlies against local clubs through the connections of the South Korean tactician, aiming to refine their skills before embarking on their journey to defend the Southeast Asian championship.