Fifa announces new Asean Cup tournament for South-east Asian nations
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(From left) Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn at an MOU signing ceremony on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26.
PHOTO: AFP
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KUALA LUMPUR – Football’s world governing body Fifa announced the launch of a new tournament for all 11 South-east Asian teams in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26.
The announcement was made by Fifa president Gianni Infantino after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on football development on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
He said: “This competition is meant to give a real boost to football with the best players within the framework of Fifa’s international match calendar, to make it really impactful not just in the region, but also to shine in the entire world.
“Football unites the world, and we are uniting the world together with the now 11 Asean countries. The Fifa Asean Cup will be a huge success in the region.”
The MOU was signed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in his capacity as the 2025 Asean chair, and Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn of Cambodia.
Infantino said that South-east Asia was among the globe’s most dynamic football regions with 700 million supporters, making it a prime market for development.
Infantino did not give details about the tournament, including when it would begin.
On the MOU, he said: “The first pillar, of course, is integrity in the game.
“The second is ensuring a safe and secure environment for matches.
“The third is education, promoting learning through football and fostering development for girls, boys, women and men across the region.
“Asean now has 11 countries, which, as you know, is a magic number in sport. A football team is composed of 11 players, so now the team is there – ready to win matches – and we at Fifa look forward to continuing our collaboration with Asean based on these key principles.”
South-east Asia already has a regional tournament called the Asean Championship
It has been running for 29 years since 1996, encompassing 15 editions.
Thailand are the most successful team with seven titles, followed by Singapore with four – although the Lions’ last triumph came in 2012.
The next edition and 16th edition of the tournament, which has been rebranded the Asean Hyundai Cup, is set for 2026.
In May, Hyundai became the tournament’s fifth title sponsor, after Mitsubishi Electric, Suzuki and Tiger Beer.
The tournament is organised by the Asean Football Federation (AFF).
It is unclear what the advent of the new Fifa-sanctioned Asean Cup will mean for the Asean Championship.
Recent Asean Championships have been affected by some clubs not releasing their players to their respective national teams owing to the tournament not falling within a Fifa international window.
The Straits Times has contacted AFF for comment.
