The Big Question: Do we really need a Fifa Asean Cup?

Few, if any, had expected that the 47th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre would set in motion a flurry of messages among top football officials in the region.

The reason? An announcement by football’s world governing body Fifa on Oct 26 on the launch of a

new tournament for all 11 South-east Asian teams, the Fifa Asean Cup

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The fraternity was caught off guard by the news, as the gathering of Asean nations brings together the region’s top political leaders to discuss typically economic, political and security matters, not sport.

The announcement was made by Fifa president Gianni Infantino after signing a memorandum of understanding on football development between the federation and Asean.

While Infantino and Fifa did not provide details about the tournament, including its kick-off date, they said that the Fifa Asean Cup “will be a great addition to the regional football calendar” and “allow the best players in the Asean region to shine on the global stage”.

But, with South-east Asia already hosting the biennial Asean Championship – long regarded as the region’s premier football tournament since the first edition in 1996 – does it really need the Fifa Asean Cup?

Growing importance of South-east Asian football

Before looking at whether the region needs another tournament, it is important to understand why South-east Asia has piqued the interest of the world body.

Several experts whom The Straits Times spoke to said that Fifa’s announcement is a “clear sign” that football in this region is being taken more seriously than before.

Beyond its growing importance to global trade, South-east Asia is also home to about 700 million people, who share a huge passion for football.

In March 2024, 57,696 spectators were in attendance at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium for Indonesia’s 1-0 win over Vietnam in a World Cup qualifier, while Malaysia secured a 4-0 win over Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in front of 61,512 fans in June.

Strong domestic leagues in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam have boosted the sport’s profile. Clubs such as Malaysia’s Johor Darul Takzim, Thailand’s Buriram United and Singapore’s Lion City Sailors – who made the Asian Champions League Two final in 2025 – have shown their Asian counterparts that they mean business.

Football consultant Khairul Asyraf, who specialises in regional football, said the involvement of “notable figures” in the region’s football associations has not gone unnoticed by Fifa.

These figures include Football Association of Singapore president Forrest Li, the founder of home-grown tech firm Sea Limited, who reportedly has a net worth of US$9.9 billion (S$12.9 billion) and Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, a hugely influential figure in Malaysian football who owns 11-time domestic champions JDT.

Other notables are Indonesian FA president Erick Thohir who is also the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports; and Madam Pang, the Thai FA president who hails from the Lamsam family, one of Thailand’s wealthiest with a net worth of US$890 million.

Khairul said: “This is happening on the back of the development of prominent names who are now involved in football in their respective countries. Currently, South-east Asia with a substantial population is being given a platform to showcase themselves and that is a sign that Fifa is taking South-east Asian football seriously.”

Fifa tournament will be a boost for region

Shortly after its announcement, Fifa added in a media statement that it would engage all stakeholders, including the Asian Football Confederation, the Asean Football Federation (AFF) and the Fifa member associations of the Asean member states, “with the precise format of the tournament to be finalised in due course”.

Fifa and AFF did not respond to ST’s queries for more details on the Fifa Asean Cup.

While there is no information on the dates or format of the tournament, the football fraternity believes that it will be a boon for the sport in the region.

At present, the Asean Championship does not fall during an official Fifa international window, which means clubs are not obliged to release their players. With the region’s top clubs involved in domestic leagues and cups, as well as the Asian Champions League and Asean Club Championship, some have decided that their players will sit out the Asean Championship.

During the 2024 edition, league competitions in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand continued and this resulted in weakened squads for the key contenders.

Furthermore, with more players now plying their trade in Europe and Japan, these clubs are even more unlikely to release players for the Asean tournament.

But a Fifa-sanctioned tournament could mean that clubs will be obliged to release the players, especially if it falls during a Fifa international window.

Calling Fifa’s endorsement a “huge deal” for South-east Asian football, Lions captain Hariss Harun said: “It can go a long way for football in this region.

“We never really had issues earlier on in the 2000s, but later on when more Asean players went on to play in Europe or in the bigger leagues, the tournament began to get deprived of the best players. Maybe a Fifa Asean Cup will allow the best of the best to be involved.”

Former Lion and current Geylang International head coach Noor Ali noted that the tournament’s association with Fifa will elevate its brand and recognition.

He added: “You get a lot more eyes on the event. And naturally with Fifa being involved, that means a lot more resources, better organisation, and it has an even more special feeling for fans and players.”

Agreeing with the sentiment, football commentator Dez Corkhill said: “The Fifa stamp does add additional credibility, although the Asean Championship has secured excellent sponsorship since its inception.”

But he added that “confusion remains”, owing to the scant details on the proposed format and significance of the Fifa Asean Cup.

One rumour that has generated considerable buzz is the Asean Cup being a possible pathway for direct qualification to the Asian Cup, a move that could significantly elevate the tournament’s importance and competitiveness.

Following the footsteps of the Fifa Arab Cup

In Fifa’s media statement on the Asean Cup, it said the tournament will bring together all Fifa member associations from the South-east Asia region “in a format that follows in the footsteps of the successful Fifa Arab Cup”.

Previously organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations, the Arab Cup was staged periodically from 1963 to 2012. Fifa took over its organisation and revived it in 2021 as the Fifa Arab Cup.

The inaugural edition had a prize purse of US$25.5 million and, according to Fifa, the 2021 edition allocated more than 600,000 tickets and had a global TV audience of 272 million.

For 2025, the prize money was raised to more than US$36.5 million and the champions of the Dec 1-8 tournament will get a staggering US$10 million.

In comparison, the 2024 Asean Championship handed out US$300,000 to the champions, US$100,000 to the runner-up, while the two semi-finalists each received US$50,000.

Khairul said: “If Fifa can ensure more money for the federations, which they have been able to do for all the national teams that have involved in all their other tournaments, it is better for the game here... money will trickle down back to the places where money should be spent for football, such as grassroots.”

Can the two tournaments exist side by side?

While the members of the fraternity whom ST spoke to agreed that the Fifa Asean Cup would be a boost, they were unanimous in their opinion that it should not be staged alongside the Asean Championship.

The next edition of the Asean Championship, which has been rebranded the Asean Hyundai Cup, is scheduled for 2026, although it is unclear if there will be clarity on Fifa’s plans by then.

Corkhill noted that Fifa had said that they “will engage all football stakeholders”, which could signal that the world body’s tournament would prevail.

Khairul added: “I doubt that the Asean Championship and the Fifa Asean Cup can exist side by side. The SEA Games football tournament is already an Under-22 event because of the fact that we already have an Asean Championship.

“So now, if a grander and bigger organiser, such as Fifa comes into play, I think there will only be one victor.”

Hariss stressed that the organisations need to be wary of the increasing number of matches that would be played.

He said: “In Singapore, most of the national team players come from Sailors or BG Tampines Rovers and both of these clubs already play many games.

“To have any more added will be very tricky. You have to consider the travelling and the recovery that is needed. It’s not ideal to have both a Fifa Asean Cup and an Asean Championship.

“At the end of the day, whichever tournament it is, footballers in this region see it as our form of World Cup because it brings together all the countries in South-east Asia.

“So it needs to remain as one Cup that fans, players and staff can all look forward to every few years.”