The all-time AFF Championship top scorers: Meet the Top 5 Goal Kings

The AFF Championship, commonly known as the AFF Cup, is a biennial tournament for Southeast Asian national teams. First held in 1996 as the Tiger Cup, the competition has gone through several name changes and is now known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup. Over nearly 30 years of development, the tournament has produced many exceptional goalscorers who are regarded as legends of Southeast Asian football. In this article, NowGoal Pro look back at the AFF Championship top scorers in the tournament’s history.

Five AFF Championship top scorers

The statistics below are compiled from the start of the tournament until 2024, the most recent edition at the time of writing.

5. Le Huynh Duc - 14 goals

Le Huynh Duc is a legendary Vietnamese striker who represented the national team in the AFF Cup from the Tiger Cup era. During his career, he took part in the tournament four times and scored a total of 14 goals. His most prolific campaign came in 2002, his final tournament, when he scored six goals. With this record, he remains among the top five goalscorers in AFF Cup history, although he is not Vietnam’s highest scorer in the competition.

4. Worrawoot Srimaka - 15 goals

Worrawoot Srimaka is one of the most famous strikers in the history of Thai and Southeast Asian football. Standing at 1.93 metres tall, he was a major threat to defenders, particularly in aerial duels. He scored 15 goals in AFF Cup history, including a hat-trick against Indonesia in the 2000 final, helping Thailand to a 4-1 victory and the championship. In total, he won the tournament three times, in 1996, 2000, and 2002.

3. Le Cong Vinh - 15 goals

Level with Srimaka on 15 goals, Le Cong Vinh is the highest-scoring Vietnamese player in AFF Cup history. He appeared in six tournaments, in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, and 2016, scoring consistently across more than a decade. He was also the first player to score in five consecutive AFF Cup tournaments. His most memorable moment came in 2008, when he scored in both legs of the final, helping Vietnam win 3-2 on aggregate and claim their first-ever AFF Cup title.

2. Noh Alam Shah (Singapore) - 17 goals

One of the few players in the top ranks not from Vietnam or Thailand, Noh Alam Shah is a legend of Singaporean football. He won the tournament twice with Singapore, in 2004 and 2007. In the 2007 edition, he claimed both the MVP and top scorer awards. Noh Alam Shah once held the all-time scoring record with 17 goals, including seven goals in Singapore’s 11-0 win over Laos in the 2007 tournament.

1. Teerasil Dangda (Thailand) - 25 goals

At the top of the list is Teerasil Dangda, an icon of Thai football and the AFF Cup. With 25 goals, he broke Noh Alam Shah’s record in 2021. He is also the tournament’s top scorer in five different editions: 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2022, underlining his consistency at the highest level. Teerasil Dangda has won the AFF Cup three times with Thailand, in 2016, 2020, and 2022.

All-time AFF Championship top scorers list

1. Teerasil Dangda (Thailand) - 25 goals

2. Noh Alam Shah (Singapore) - 17 goals

3. Le Cong Vinh (Vietnam) - 15 goals

4. Worrawoot Srimaka (Thailand) - 15 goals

5. Le Huynh Duc (Vietnam) - 14 goals

Who was the top scorer in the most recent AFF Championship?

The top scorer at the most recent ASEAN Cup in 2024 was Rafaelson, also known as Nguyen Xuan Son of Vietnam. He scored seven goals, finishing well ahead of players such as Shawal Anuar, Patrik Gustavsson, Suphanat Mueanta, and Nguyen Tien Linh. Xuan Son scored twice in the first leg of the final against Thailand. Despite suffering a serious injury in the second leg, he still won both the top scorer and best player awards, playing a key role in Vietnam’s third AFF Cup title.

When will the AFF Championship 2026 tournament take place?

The ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 26. The tournament will mark the 30th anniversary of its establishment, dating back to the first Tiger Cup in 1996. The group stage draw has already been held, with Group A consisting of Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Brunei or Timor-Leste. Group B includes Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.

In this article, we’ll review the list of the Top 5 players with the AFF Championship top scorers, based on all editions of the tournament. To read more interesting articles and predictions about Asian football, please follow our page.