Quang Hai absence forces Vietnam into major reshuffle ahead of FIFA ASEAN Cup
Vietnam’s national football team will head into the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 without influential midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai, whose ankle injury has left head coach Kim Sang Sik facing a difficult midfield puzzle.
Nguyen Quang Hai has withdrawn from Vietnam’s FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Cong An Hanoi FC confirmed on Tuesday that Quang Hai would miss the tournament because of the injury, although its severity has yet to be disclosed.
Quang Hai leaves major void in midfield
His absence is a major setback for Vietnam.
The 29-year-old midfielder has been a key figure under Kim Sang Sik and was part of the squad that won back-to-back ASEAN Cup titles in 2024 and 2026.
Even when used from the bench at the latest ASEAN Cup, Quang Hai still delivered important goals and made a significant contribution to Vietnam’s title run.
Beyond his technical quality, he also brings extensive international experience and leadership to the squad.
To reinforce the midfield, Kim Sang Sik called up Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, 25, who was part of Vietnam’s U23 squad that won the 2023 AFF U23 Championship and competed at the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup.
Minh Khoa made his senior international debut in Vietnam’s 5-0 win over Laos in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
However, he has not been called up to the national team for more than a year and has limited recent international experience, making him an unlikely direct replacement for Quang Hai.
Vo Hoang Minh Khoa (No. 9) in action for Vietnam during the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Photo: VFF
Vietnam are also short of options in central midfield, with only Nguyen Hoang Duc and Le Pham Thanh Long available in the role. Given the congested schedule, an injury or suspension to either player could leave head coach Kim Sang Sik with a serious selection problem.
The situation is further complicated by Hoang Duc’s injury, which forced him to train separately on Tuesday, leaving Thanh Long as the only fully fit recognized central midfielder in the squad.
If needed, Kim could use Minh Khoa, deploy Nguyen Tai Loc in a deeper role, or move center-back Nguyen Nhat Minh into midfield. All three options have been tested previously, but none has been used extensively.
Only one full training session before departure
Vietnam held their first training session at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center on Tuesday afternoon, which was also their only full session before leaving for Indonesia.
Twenty-one players were present, with Phan Tuan Tai absent for an unspecified reason and Minh Khoa yet to join the squad.
With Hoang Duc training separately, only 20 fully fit players took part in the main session.
The squad also has a notably different look, with several naturalized and overseas Vietnamese players, including Nguyen Xuan Son, Do Hoang Hen, Nguyen Tai Loc, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Patrik Le Giang, Khoa Ngo, Adou Minh and Williams Minh Hoang.
Nguyen Xuan Son, Nguyen Tai Loc and other Vietnam players during a training session. Photo: Minh Do / Tuoi Tre
Vietnam will fly to Indonesia at 8:40 am on Wednesday.
The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 will run from September 24 to October 3 during the FIFA international window.
Vietnam are in Group B of Division 1 with the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan.
They will open their campaign against the Philippines on September 26, before facing Thailand on September 29 and Pakistan on October 2.
Quang Hai remains one of Vietnam’s key figures
Quang Hai, who came through the Hanoi FC academy, has been one of Vietnam’s most prominent players of his generation.
He has won six V-League titles, four National Cups and four National Super Cups at club level, while also becoming the first Vietnamese player to score in France’s Ligue 2.
At international level, he featured at the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup, starred in Vietnam U23’s run to the 2018 AFC U23 Championship final, won SEA Games gold in 2019, and has remained a key member of the senior national team in major regional and continental campaigns.
Ngoc Nguyen - Ngoc Le / Tuoi Tre News
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