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Broadcasting rights for the 2026 ASEAN Cup in Thailand are currently held by TrueVisions, a subsidiary of True Corporation, the country’s leading telecommunications group. Viewers have to pay a monthly subscription fee of 199 baht (US$6) for access to the matches.

According to Khaosodthe Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) and FAT have faced heavy criticism from fans due to the absence of free live broadcasts, a contrast to previous tournaments.

Public demand for free access is increasing now that Thailand have reached the final.

Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Panjaroenvorakul addressed this topic during a press conference launching the Prime Minister’s Youth Cup in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Following the press conference, Madam Pang personally contacted a TrueVisions executive to propose a free broadcast of the final.

The rights holder has not yet agreed, citing concerns regarding customers who have already purchased paid subscription packages, Siam Sports reported, adding that a meeting between parties is scheduled to reach an agreement.

Star midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin was also present at the event to express wishes of fans directly to Minister Panjaroenvorakul and Madam Pang.

The minister indicated that the National Sports Development Fund could potentially be used to purchase the broadcasting rights for the two-legged final, which is scheduled for Aug. 22 and 26.

He also proposed that FAT develop plans to seek support from sports funds to purchase broadcasting rights for the national team’s matches in the future.

Madam Pang believes it is feasible to broadcast the 2026 ASEAN Cup final for free in Thailand. She cited the recent example of the 2026 World Cup, where the semifinals and final were aired for free.

Thailand previously established a “Must Have” list of sporting events, including major tournaments like the World Cup, Olympics, and Asian Games, that were legally required to be broadcast for free to ensure public access.

However, the World Cup was removed from the list starting in 2026 due to the skyrocketing price of broadcasting rights.

According to Bangkok PostFIFA initially offered the 2026 World Cup broadcasting rights in Thailand for $40 million. This figure could reportedly rise to $52 million when other costs are included, an amount that is double the budget of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

FAT also hopes the ASEAN Cup final will draw more spectators to Rajamangala Stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 55,000.

Attendance has declined in three previous home matches. Numbers dropped from 16,037 and 13,026 during the group stage victories over Malaysia and Myanmar to just 10,802 for the semi-final second leg against Singapore on Aug. 18, which ended in a 1-2 loss.

Earlier in the tournament, Madam Pang had ordered a 100-baht price reduction across all ticket categories starting from the semifinals.

Tickets for the first leg of the final are available at five accessible price points: 200, 250, 300, 400 and 500 baht. Tickets for away supporters are priced at a flat rate of 500 baht.

On the night of Aug. 18, immediately after Thailand defeated Singapore on aggregate in the semifinals, hundreds of fans queued up to purchase tickets for the final. Each person is permitted to purchase a maximum of four tickets.

Thailand will face long-time rival Vietnam in the final first leg at home on Aug. 22 and the second leg away four days later.

In their three previous encounters in the final, Thailand won in 2022 with a 3-2 aggregate score, but lost 2-3 in 2008 and 3-5 in 2024.