Football’s Asean Championship to be switched from year-end to July 24-Aug 26 in 2026
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The Lions thanking fans after they were beaten by Vietnam in the 2024 Asean Championship semi-finals.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Follow topic:
- The Asean Championship will be held from July 24 to Aug 26, 2026. This move is said to align with domestic league seasons, avoiding clashes and the monsoon season.
- The two lowest-ranked Asean teams will compete in play-offs on June 2 and 9 to decide who make the 10-team group stage.
- While Fifa's announcement of a new Asean Cup raises questions, AFF president Khiev Sameth reaffirms commitment to the Asean Hyundai Cup as a premier event.
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SINGAPORE – The Asean Championship will be moved from its traditional year-end slot to July 24-Aug 26 in 2026.
Sportfive, the Asean Football Federation’s (AFF) exclusive commercial agency, announced the change in dates in a media statement on Nov 14.
While it did not explain the rationale for the change, it is understood that the dates were moved so that it can be held in between the South-east Asian domestic league seasons, which now mostly start in August and end in May. The 2024 edition was held from Dec 8, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025, when Vietnam beat Thailand for their third title.
The tournament will still fall outside the allocated Fifa dates for international matches – the World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 – while the next window is Sept 21 to Oct 6. However, the national teams may be better positioned to call up their biggest names for the 16th edition of the competition, which is now known as the Asean Hyundai Cup.
Football consultant Khairul Asyraf said that the dates would help avoid a viewership clash with the World Cup, but hopes that the tournament can be held slightly earlier in the future, so that players’ off-season and pre-season can be optimised, and the leagues do not have to accommodate the Asean Championship.
He added: “It is worth noting that November to February is the monsoon season in this region and it is not good to have such a landmark competition held during torrential downpours under poor pitch conditions, so moving it to drier months could help improve the quality of football.
“But it would be better if the tournament could start in June. The national teams can have two weeks of centralised training to prepare and the tournament would still not affect the clubs’ preparations for the new season.
“The earlier kick-off could also serve as a scouting platform for Japan’s J.League which will change its kick-off to August, with plans for Korea’s K League to do the same.”
Singapore skipper Hariss Harun also welcomed the new dates.
The 34-year-old, who led the Lions to a semi-final finish at the last Asean Championship, said: “With the competition taking place in the off-season, it means more of our best players will be available. And with the tournament kicking off just days after the World Cup final, the whole region will still be buzzing with football energy.
“As players, this tournament is always special. It’s a unique spectacle from the atmosphere to the rivalries across the region. In the last edition, we were truly heartened by the support of our Singaporean fans who turned up in numbers and pushed us all the way to the semi-finals. We are really looking forward to it.”
As there are 11 national teams in the region, a home-and-away play-off series will be held between the two lowest-ranked sides on June 2 and 9 to determine the eventual 10-team line-up.
The single round-robin group stage will also take on a home-and-away format from July 24 to Aug 8, before the two-legged semi-finals and final start on Aug 15 and conclude on Aug 26.
Questions continue to loom over the Asean Championship Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced the formation of the Fifa Asean Cup
While no details were provided, it has raised concerns over how two seemingly identical regional tournaments can fit into a hectic schedule, and if the Fifa version would replace the AFF competition.
The Straits Times has contacted AFF and Sportfive for comment, and while AFF president Khiev Sameth did not address the issue in its news statement, he said that the AFF is committed to “continue our journey to elevate the competition into a major international event and further strengthen its powerful legacy for the decades to come”.
He added: “The Asean Hyundai Cup stands as South-east Asia’s premier international football competition and we are delighted to confirm the dates for its next edition as the tournament marks its 30th anniversary, which is a truly significant milestone in its evolution.
“We are deeply grateful to our supporters across the region who have demonstrated unwavering passion for and devotion to this tournament since its inception in 1996.”
