KUALA LUMPUR: Fifa has finally announced key details of the inaugural Fifa Asean Cup, nearly a year after revealing that the tournament would take place in the region.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced the tournament on the sidelines of the 2025 Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26.
The announcement came without further details, apart from the fact that the tournament would be held during Fifa’s international match calendar.
The announcement raised questions over what would happen to the biennial Asean Football Federation’s AFF Cup. This year’s AFF Cup ended on Aug 27, with Vietnam defeating Thailand in the final.
The Asean Football Federation has also remained silent on the potential clash between the two tournaments being held so close to each other.
After such a prolonged silence, Fifa finally issued a statement today revealing that the Asean Cup will consist of two divisions.
Division 1, hosted by Indonesia, will feature Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as two guest teams – Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Division 2 will be hosted by Hong Kong, which will participate as a guest team, along with Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.
Each division will be split into two groups, with teams facing off in a single-round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to their respective finals to compete for the trophy, while the two group runners-up in Division 1 will contest the third-place match.
