Cambodia National Team Coach openly expresses big ambitions when facing Vietnam National Team

Vietnam National Team has been placed in Group A of the 2026 ASEAN Cup, a tournament scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 26.

This outcome was confirmed after the ASEAN Cup 2026 group draw ceremony organized by AFF in Jakarta on January 15, 2026. According to the draw results, Vietnam ended up in Group A along with Indonesia, Singapore, and Cambodia national teams. The remaining spot in Group A will be filled by the winner of the play-off between Timor Leste and Brunei.

After the draw, several coaches shared their views about being grouped with Indonesia. Among them was Singapore’s head coach, Gavin Lee, who admitted he was very excited to face Indonesia. According to the 35-year-old coach, Indonesian football has developed rapidly in recent years. This is clearly shown by Indonesia’s qualification to the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers.

According to Superball Indonesia, Coach Gavin Lee said: “Yes, I think Indonesian football has improved a lot in recent years. They can compete in the World Cup qualifiers, which is the clearest proof. Once again, this is the kind of team we want to face to test our own abilities. We truly look forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Cambodia’s head coach, Koji Gyotoku, acknowledged that tough challenges await his team in Group A. According to the Japanese strategist, Cambodia will have to confront two very strong teams: Vietnam, the defending champions, and Indonesia.

Coach Koji stated: “Group A is very strong. Vietnam is very strong, and so is Indonesia. Both teams are superior to us. Vietnam is a quality team, and Indonesia also has many good players.”

However, the 60-year-old coach still affirmed his ambition to lead Cambodia to the semifinals for the first time in history. Koji Gyotoku emphasized: “Our goal is to reach the semifinals. It won’t be easy, but we will do our best. Of course, Cambodia needs to achieve good results against Indonesia, Vietnam, and other strong teams. Cambodia has never reached the semifinals before.”

Additionally, Coach Koji mentioned the plan of Indonesia’s head coach, John Herdman, not to call up players of European descent. Regarding this issue, Coach Koji said he is not too concerned about Indonesia’s squad list and is focusing fully on preparing his own team.

Coach Koji Gyotoku stated: “I don’t know if Indonesia will call players currently playing in Europe, I really don’t know. But what matters is that we will prepare as best as we can.”