Vietnam went all-in for the AFF Cup 2024 (ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024)
, and that commitment had an unexpected cost in the FIFA rankings.
They secured the title with 7 wins and 1 draw, earning +13.89 points. But a single defeat to
Malaysia in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers led to a drop of 13.99 points.
It’s no surprise, considering the AFF Championship isn’t an official FIFA tournament. It’s classified as a friendly outside the FIFA calendar,, carrying just 5 points in FIFA’s ranking system. Meanwhile, each Asian Cup Qualifier carries 25 points, making a far bigger impact.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) prepared seriously for the AFF Cup: paused the league, held a training camp in Korea, and naturalized Rafaelson (Nguyễn Xuân Sơn), who sadly got injured.
Meanwhile, countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand didn’t send full-strength squads. Indonesia even fielded young backup players with an average age of just 19–20.
Heading into the Asian Cup Qualifiers, Vietnam faced a different situation. The domestic league was still running, no friendlies match, and more focus to join ASEAN All-Stars.
In recent weeks, VFF also declined Thailand’s invitation King’s Cup for the September FIFA Matchday, which would have featured strong opponents like Iraq. They also turned down a friendly offer from the Philippines, and are now confirmed to play zero matches during the September window.
Instead, head coach Kim Sang-sik has been assigned to focus on the Vietnam U23 team, who are preparing for both the ASEAN U23 Championship and the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
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