Sports
Cambodia Exit ASEAN Championship at Group Stage Despite Win Over Timor-Leste
By Kampuchea Daily · 22 September 2026 · 1 view0 shares
Cambodia's campaign at the 2026 ASEAN Championship ended in the group stage. Koji Gyotoku's side finished fourth in Group A with three points from four matches, tournament records show.
The regional championship ran from 24 July to 26 August 2026, with ten teams split into two groups of five.
Results
24 July: Cambodia 1–2 Singapore
27 July: Indonesia 5–1 Cambodia
3 August: Cambodia 3–0 Timor-Leste
7 August: Vietnam 3–1 Cambodia
The narrow opening defeat to Singapore proved costly. The comfortable win over Timor-Leste was not enough to keep the Angkor Warriors in contention for a semi-final place.
The squad
Cambodia named a 24-player final squad on 7 July, two short of the permitted 26, according to the official squad lists. The group was brought up to full strength when Iago Bento joined on 18 July and Hikaru Mizuno on 22 July. Defender Taing Bunchhai withdrew injured on 23 July, a day before the opening game, and was replaced by Im Vakhim.
Experience came from Nagaworld FC midfielder Sos Suhana, who went into the tournament with 80 caps, and PKR Svay Rieng forward Sieng Chanthea (46 caps, 9 goals). Goalkeeper Hul Kimhuy of ISI Dangkor Senchey captained the side.
Vietnam take the title
Vietnam, who beat Cambodia in the final group game, went on to win the championship by defeating Thailand 4–2 on aggregate in the two-legged final. Vietnam's Nguyễn Đình Bắc was named best player and finished as joint top scorer with five goals.
For Cambodia, the tournament again showed the gap between the national team and the region's strongest sides. The Timor-Leste result and a squad that mixes veterans with newer call-ups give the coaching staff something to build on before the next international window.