Cambodia poised for a historic moment
The AFF Suzuki Cup, Southeast Asia’s premier football tournament, kicks off this Thursday. Cambodia will host Malaysia at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium. This is the first major tournament for Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda in his new role as head coach—and potentially his first big win. Cambodia has never reached the semi-finals of the competition. It's a classic David vs. Goliath scenario, with Keisuke Honda taking on the role of the slingshot. But the challenge ahead for Cambodia’s national team is no small one. They face Malaysia in the opening match of the 12th edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup (formerly the Tiger Cup), the de facto football championship of ASEAN. The two nations have clashed 27 times in the past, with little success for the Kingdom.
Honda changes the game
With just four wins, three draws, and 20 defeats, Cambodia’s track record against Malaysia is grim. The last Cambodian victory dates back to 1973, in Seoul. However, this year, the Kingdom has a major asset on its side: Keisuke Honda. Never before has Cambodia had a head coach of such international stature. “He brings discipline to our work and the locker room. He and his staff are extremely detail-oriented, which is new for us. He's sharing his experience as an international-level player”, said forward Thierry Chantha Bin upon Honda’s appointment. At 32, Honda had played 528 professional matches. He had just concluded his international career following Japan’s elimination by Belgium in the Round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. With 37 goals in 98 international appearances, he is the only Asian player to have both scored and assisted in three consecutive World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018). During his official introduction as Cambodia’s new head coach in August, Sao Sokha, President of the Football Federation of Cambodia, emphasized the strategic importance of the AFF Suzuki Cup. The objective is clear and ambitious.
A tough, but playable group
Cambodia has never advanced past the group stage in 11 previous editions of the AFF Suzuki Cup. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals in early December, with a two-legged final set for December 11 and 15.
In Group A, Cambodia will face:
- Malaysia (home) – Thursday, November 8
- Myanmar (away) – Monday, November 11
- Laos (home) – Tuesday, November 20
- Vietnam (away) – Saturday, November 24
(Group A – Cambodia, AFF Suzuki Cup)
To reach the semi-finals, Cambodia will have to pull off a major upset against the group’s two giants: Malaysia and Vietnam. Vietnam, the neighbor and fierce football rival, has a dominant record against Cambodia in recent history. Eight matches, eight Vietnamese wins. Currently ranked 103rd in the FIFA World Rankings, Vietnam has already won the AFF Suzuki Cup once—just like Malaysia. Group A, in total, holds two championship titles thanks to these two nations. In terms of historical achievements, Cambodia finds itself in a relatively favorable group compared to Group B, where Thailand and Singapore have a combined total of nine titles. Securing a top-two finish in Group A would be historic for Cambodia. The tournament kicks off this Thursday at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium, with a 70,000-seat capacity. It will be only the second time Cambodia has hosted Malaysia in their 27 meetings. The first time, on April 24, 1956, ended in a stunning 3-2 Khmer victory. Could history repeat itself ?
Thibault Bourru