ASEAN Cup has Southeast Asia teams ramping up early 2030 World Cup preparations

SEOUL, South Korea(AP) — Preparations for the next men's World Cup have already begun for teams in Southeast Asia, just weeks after Spain clinched the 2026 title. The ASEAN Cup has kicked off in Phnom Penh, and host Cambodia has already lost its opening games 2-1 to Singapore and 5-1 to Indonesia in Group A. The biennial tournament features 10 national teams from the region of 650 million, and there's more on the minds of coaches and players than the trophy on offer in late August. With Asian qualification for the 2030 World Cup starting next year, Southeast Asia's soccer powerhouses such as Indonesia — the only team from the region to appear on the global stage, when it competed as the Dutch East Indies in 1938 — Thailand and Vietnam, have an opportunity to start preparations early.

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