| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Philippines |
| Dates | 6–15 December |
| Teams | 6 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Thailand (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Malaysia |
| Third place |  Indonesia |
| Fourth place |  Singapore |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 26 (2.6 per match) |
← 1979 1983 → | |
The football tournament at the 1981 SEA Games was held from 6 December to 15 December 1981 in Manila, Philippines.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| Thailand
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
 Burma
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 |
| Malaysia | 1–0 | Burma |
|---|---|---|
Abdul Muin  |
| Malaysia | 2–2 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Jamal Nasir 24' S. Suvindran 33' |
Pue-on 50' Chitavanich 73' |
| Thailand | 3–3 | Burma |
|---|---|---|
| Madard Tongtaum 28' Pue-on 32' 57' |
Aye Maung Win 26' 72' 88' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| Singapore
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 2 |
 Philippines
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| Indonesia | 1–0 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Taufik Saleh 62' |
| Singapore | 4–0 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
| Fandi Ahmad 32', 61', 82' R. Suriamurthi 42' |
| Indonesia | 2–0 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
| Taufik Saleh 33' Robby Binur 83' |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||
| ||||||
| 13 December | |||||
| ||||||
| Malaysia (pen.) | 1 (5) | ||||
| 15 December | |||||
| Singapore | 1 (4) | ||||
| Thailand | 2 | ||||
| 13 December | |||||
| Malaysia | 1 | ||||
| Thailand | 2 | ||||
| ||||||
| Indonesia | 0 | ||||
| Third place | |||||
| ||||||
| 14 December | |||||
| ||||||
| Indonesia | 2 | ||||
| ||||||
| Singapore | 0 | ||||
| Thailand | 2–1 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Piyapong Pue-on 50' 79' |
Ronny Pattinasarany 65' |
| Indonesia | 2–0 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Rully Nere 11' Stefanus Sirey 68' |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand | 2–1 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Tongtaum 8' Pue-on 41' |
Abdul Muin 86' |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 SEA Games Men's Tournament |
|---|
 Thailand Third title |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 6 | Gold Medal |
| 2 | Malaysia
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | Silver Medal |
| 3 | Indonesia
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Bronze Medal |
| 4 | Singapore
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 | Fourth place |
| 5 | Burma
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 6 | Philippines (H)
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand
|
Malaysia
|
Indonesia
|
|
GK Narasak Boonkleang |
GK R. Arumugam |
GK Poerwono |
