Vietnamese football surpasses Malaysia, nearing a historic milestone in the AFC Champions League.
With 8,667 points accumulated in the 2025/26 season, Vietnam officially surpassed Malaysia in the AFC rankings, opening up the opportunity to secure a direct spot in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage for the first time.
The AFC Club Rankings for the 2025/26 season are witnessing the rapid progress of Vietnamese football. The impressive achievements of V-League representatives not only bring joy in terms of results but also directly create a strategic advantage, bringing Vietnam closer than ever to the most prestigious continental competition.
Strength from CAHN and Nam Dinh
After the AFC Champions League Two (Asian Cup C2) group stage concluded, Vietnamese football accumulated a total of 8,667 points, temporarily ranking 11th in Asia this season. This is an impressive figure, reflecting the stability of Vietnamese representatives on the international stage.
Among them, CAHN played a leading role by securing a place in the Round of 16 of the AFC Cup for the first time in history. Each win and draw for the police team contributed a significant amount of points to the national ranking. In addition, although unable to advance further, Nam Dinh still left a strong impression with a crushing 9-0 victory over Eastern, making a substantial contribution to the nation's total accumulated points.
Vietnam is far ahead of Malaysia in the coefficient ranking.
Vietnam's superiority over its direct regional rival, Malaysia, is clearly demonstrated by the statistics. To date, Malaysia has only accumulated 6,833 points, nearly 2 points behind Vietnam. This is a very difficult gap to bridge, especially considering the relatively low point coefficients in the knockout rounds.
The main reason for Malaysia's decline is the inconsistent performance of its domestic clubs. While Johor Darul Ta'zim maintained its position in the AFC Champions League Elite, Selangor was a major disappointment, being eliminated early in the Europa League without a win, which dragged Malaysia's total points down.
A historic gateway to the AFC Champions League Elite
On the cumulative ranking of East Asia over several seasons, Vietnam currently ranks 7th with 38,020 points. The strategic goal of Vietnamese football is to reach the Top 6 in East Asia – a position that qualifies for a direct spot in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite under the new AFC format.
If CAHN continues to advance further in the Europa League knockout rounds, it is entirely possible for Vietnam to rise to 6th place. This would mark a historic milestone, because since the AFC reformed its tournament system from 2024, only Thailand and Malaysia from Southeast Asia have had representatives in the Champions League group stage.
Accumulating a consistent points total in the 2025/26 season is not only a significant achievement for individual clubs, but also a foundation for the entire Vietnamese football system to improve its standing on the continental map. In the context of rivals like Indonesia and Singapore also accelerating their progress, Vietnam's current breakthrough is a positive sign, demonstrating thorough preparation and a sound development strategy at the club level.
