Hot Vietnamese football news today 12/8: Van Vi absent from Vietnam national team training; CAHN Club to face strong opponents in Asian competition.

Hot Vietnamese football news today 12/8: Van Vi absent from Vietnam national team training; CAHN Club to face strong opponents in Asian competition.

Van Vi absent from Vietnam national team training.

Defender Cao Van Vi unexpectedly did not participate in the Vietnam national team's training session on the afternoon of August 11 at My Dinh Stadium, during preparations for the first leg of the Hyundai ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final against Malaysia.

Van Vi still traveled with the team to My Dinh Stadium but did not go onto the field to train with his teammates. The Vietnam national team has not yet released official information about Van Vi's condition.

Van Vi's absence has drawn attention as he is one of the key options on the left flank for Coach Kim Sang-sik at the ASEAN Cup 2026. The player has played in all four group stage matches, totaling 306 minutes, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

In case Van Vi cannot play, Coach Kim Sang-sik still has other options for the left-back position, including Doan Van Hau, Le Van Do, and Phan Tuan Tai.

The Vietnam national team will be guests against Malaysia in the first leg of the semi-final in Kuala Lumpur on August 16. The second leg will take place at My Dinh Stadium on August 19.

HAGL welcomes Brazilian center-back 1.92m tall.

HAGL will add Brazilian center-back Julio Cesar to their squad for the V.League 2026/27 season. The player born in 1996 is currently with the Mountain City team and has traveled with the team to Thailand for training.

Julio Cesar stands at 1.92m and has experience playing in many countries. Before coming to Vietnam, the Brazilian center-back played in Belarus, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

If he completes the procedures to join HAGL, Julio Cesar will become one of the notable additions for the Mountain City team ahead of the new season, especially in the center-back position.

Alongside Julio Cesar, HAGL also adds defender Ha Chau Phi. This player will wear the Mountain City team's jersey in the V.League 2026/27 on a loan deal from Ninh Binh FC.

Currently, both Julio Cesar and Ha Chau Phi are already at HAGL. They have both traveled with the team to Thailand for training as part of the squad preparation plan for the 2026/27 season.

CAHN Club will face strong opponents in the Asian competition.

After defeating Adelaide United 2-0 in the play-off match, Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) officially secured a place in the main stage of the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 and now has the opportunity to face many top Asian names.

CAHN is placed in the East Asia region, which brings together representatives from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, as well as Southeast Asian teams from Thailand and Malaysia.

Notable opponents include Japan's Kashima Antlers, South Korea's Jeonbuk, China's Shanghai Port, and Thailand's Buriram United. Thailand has three representatives: Buriram United, Port FC, and Ratchaburi, while Malaysia has Johor Darul Ta'zim.

The AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 has 32 teams, evenly split between the East and West Asia regions. Each region consists of 16 teams divided into 4 groups of 4 teams each.

CAHN is in Pot 4 in the East Asia region, along with Ratchaburi and Kyoto Sanga. Therefore, the Vietnamese representative could be drawn into a group with very strong opponents.

The group stage draw is scheduled for August 18, when CAHN will learn their opponents at Asia's top club competition.

Two venues confirmed for Vietnam's matches at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.

The Vietnam national team will be in the same group as Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, a new tournament held during FIFA Days and counting towards the FIFA rankings.

According to the announced format, the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 consists of two divisions: Premier Division and Challenge Division. The Premier Division features 8 teams split into two groups. Group A includes hosts Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and India, while Vietnam is in Group B with Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Teams play a single round-robin within their group. The top two teams from each group advance to the final. The Premier Division is hosted in Indonesia, with matches taking place at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung.

Meanwhile, the Challenge Division includes Hong Kong (China), Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Timor-Leste, and is hosted in Hong Kong.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place from September 24 to October 4. Each participating team receives $125,000. The champion of the Premier Division receives $1 million, while the champion of the Challenge Division is awarded $300,000.