"When it comes to tournament football, every game is a final," said Lee. "Like it or not, it's really one game at a time. It's no point talking about where you want to end up, but you don't get the job done now."

Lee's men open their campaign away to Cambodia on Friday, before a Jul 27 home game at Jalan Besar Stadium against Timor-Leste.

Singapore will then travel to Hanoi to face defending champions Vietnam on Jul 31, before their final group game with Indonesia on Aug 7.

The 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup – the 16th edition of the ASEAN Championship – will run from Jul 24 to Aug 26, with group stage matches to be played on a home-or-away single round-robin basis.

The tournament's other group, Group B, comprises Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos.

AIMING FOR PROGRESS

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN Championship.

Thailand are the most successful nation in the history of the competition, having been crowned champions of Southeast Asia seven times. The Lions have won the ASEAN Championship four times – in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012.

It is a tournament which holds many memories for local football fans, including Lee, who grew up watching some of these games.

"(How much the tournament means) is something I'm very aware of and that's why I don't take things for granted," he said.

"At the same time, we also recognise contextually the challenges we have now compared to back then. Every country is improving, they are all improving in different ways."