FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 Kicks Off, Division 2 Matches Get Underway Before the Indonesian National Team Takes the Field at SUGBK

The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, 24 September 2026. This new Southeast Asian regional tournament will open with a series of Division 2 matches hosted in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Division 1 teams will only play their opening fixtures on Friday, 25 September 2026.   

The very first match of the entire FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 will be the Laos vs Brunei fixture at Mong Kok Stadium, Kowloon, Hong Kong. This Division 2 Group A match is scheduled to kick off at 16.00 WIB.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is an all-new competition added to the Asian football calendar. Despite carrying the ASEAN name, not all participating teams for this tournament originate from Southeast Asia. Similarly, host locations for the event are also not limited exclusively to the Southeast Asian region.

As an example, Hong Kong will host every single Division 2 match for the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, including this opening Laos vs Brunei fixture.

Laos and Brunei are drawn into Group A alongside Hong Kong, while Group B consists of Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor Leste.

Following the Laos vs Brunei match, the Group B fixture will see Myanmar face Timor Leste at the same Mong Kok Stadium at 19.00 WIB. 

These two matches will launch the full Division 2 competition schedule, which will run until 3 October 2026.

Division 1 Opens With Bangladesh vs Malaysia Fixture

Division 1 action for the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup will commence one day later, on Friday 25 September 2026. Bangladesh and Malaysia will be the first two teams to take the field for Division 1.

This match will be held at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, kicking off at 16.00 WIB. This fixture also marks the official start of all Group A matches.

Division 1 is split into two groups. Group A features host nation Indonesia alongside Singapore, Malaysia and Bangladesh, while Group B comprises Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan.

Match venues are allocated per group. All Group A matches will be played in Jakarta, while the entire Group B schedule is hosted in Bandung.

The competition format for Division 1 differs from Division 2. Alongside the main championship knockout matches, Division 1 will also hold a dedicated third place playoff, contested between the two group runners-up.

Division 1 will run for an extended period. This stage of the tournament will conclude on 5 October, two full days after the Division 2 schedule is completed.

The two matches in Hong Kong will officially launch the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup Division 2 proceedings, before tournament attention shifts to Jakarta and Bandung.