Without playing a single minute against Malaysia, Vietnam's national team immediately enters history.

For the first time in the encounter between Vietnam's national team and Malaysia, both teams have naturalized players.

The confrontation between Vietnam's national team and Malaysia's national team at Thiên Trường Stadium on March 31, 2026 promises to leave a special mark, as historically, both teams for the first time feature naturalized players in their lineup. This is seen as a notable turning point, reflecting changes in the personnel strategies of both football systems.

On Vietnam's national team side, the presence of Nguyễn Xuân Son and Đỗ Hoàng Hên brings high expectations for the attack. Both are displaying impressive form and have become standout figures in the squad. Meanwhile, Malaysia's national team continues to show a trend of using naturalized players, with 13 out of 28 names in this training camp list being players of foreign descent.

The list of Malaysia's naturalized players includes many familiar faces such as Corbin Ong, Daniel Ting, Declan Lambert, Dion Cools, Dominic Tan, Junior Eldstal, Matthew Davies, along with midfielders Endrick Dos Santos, Ryan Lambert, Nooa Laine, Sergio Aguero, Stuart Wilkin, and forward Paulo Josue. Most of these have previously faced Vietnam's national team.

Previously, Vietnamese football experimented with using naturalized players in the late 2000s. However, calling up these players to face Malaysia had never happened. Therefore, the upcoming match holds special significance, marking the first time this change becomes clearly evident in the history of clashes between the two teams.

In the first leg of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers held on June 10, 2026, Vietnam's national team did not have Nguyễn Xuân Son available due to injury, and Đỗ Hoàng Hên had not yet completed his naturalization procedures. Conversely, Malaysia had already implemented a naturalization policy from the mid-2010s and regularly used this contingent in encounters with Vietnam.

Nevertheless, overusing naturalized players also cost Malaysia when they violated regulations in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The team was penalized by AFC with a 0-3 loss to Vietnam and Nepal for using ineligible players. Consequently, they suffered significant point deductions, while Vietnam's national team secured an early ticket to the finals. Thus, the match on March 31 is largely procedural, but still highly anticipated due to the fresh elements in both teams' squads.

A Malaysia star who scored in the '4-0 match' sends a message to Vietnam's national team.

Coach Kim Sang Sik mentions Đình Bắc before the match against Malaysia.