The inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ will kick off on August 21 as 12 of Southeast Asia’s top clubs battle each other to decide who among them will emerge as the champions in the maiden edition of the competition.
The group stage of the tournament will run until February 6, 2025 as the sides clash in some of the most iconic stadiums in the region before the top two sides from the two groups progress to the two-legged semi-finals to be held in April 2025.
Having already taken a look at the stadiums in Group A of the Shopee Cup, ASEAN United FC turns our attention to the venues that will feature in Group B in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Buriram Stadium - Buriram United
Opened in 2011. Buriram Stadium has since hosted Thai League 1 giants Buriram United’s domestic and continental home matches and has the distinction of being the largest club-owned stadium in Thailand, boasting 32,600 seats.
Thailand national team made their debut at the venue with a 1-0 defeat of Myanmar in July 2011 and the stadium has hosted qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup since then, as well as the 47th King’s Cup won by Curacao who defeated Vietnam 5-4 on penalties in the 2019 final.
Hang Day Stadium - Công An Hà Nội FC
Hang Day Stadium is home to Công An Hà Nội FC who emerged as the champions of Vietnam in stunning fashion in 2023, taking over the crown from city rivals Hanoi FC in their first season after getting promoted. And during the group stage of the Shopee Cup, they will welcome Buriram United, Lion City Sailors FC and Borneo FC Samarinda to the venue.
With a capacity of 22,500, Hang Day Stadium finished construction in 1934 but underwent a major rebuild in 1958. The stadium has previously been used by the Vietnam national team for selected matches, though the nearby My Dinh National Stadium currently hosts most of the Golden Star Warriors’ international outings.
Batakan Stadium - Borneo FC Samarinda
Batakan Stadium, with a capacity of 40,000, has been the home of Borneo FC Samarinda since 2023 as Segiri Stadium in Samarinda undergoes renovation. Located in Balikpapan on the island of Borneo, the venue opened in 2017 and is also the home ground for Persiba Balikpapan who play in the third tier of Indonesian football.
Borneo FC Samarinda, who won the regular season of the 2023/24 Liga 1 season to qualify for the Shopee Cup, will welcome Singapore's Lion City Sailors to the venue in their opening match at the tournament before also hosting Filipino champions Kaya FC - Iloilo on Matchday Four.
Stadium Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Lumpur City FC
Located in Cheras, Stadium Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur has a capacity of 18,000 since it was renovated in 2018. The 2022 AFC Cup finalists Kuala Lumpur City FC play their home matches at the venue and will host Kaya FC - Iloilo, Borneo FC Samarinda and Công An Hà Nội FC in Group B of the Shopee Cup.
Bola Sepak has witnessed plenty of high-profile football clashes over the years. Al Ahed FC became the first Lebanese club to win the AFC Cup when they edged DPR Korea’s 4.25 SC at the venue in 2019 while Brunei Darussalam used the stadium to play their home matches at the 2022 AFF Championship.
Jalan Besar Stadium - Lion City Sailors FC
The history of Jalan Besar Stadium dates all the way back to 1929, but the stadium as we know now has stood in Kallang since 2003 when it was opened after renovation. The venue has a capacity of 6,000 and regularly hosts matches in the Singapore Premier League and international fixtures of the national team.
It was at Jalan Besar Stadium in 2012 that Singapore beat Thailand 3-1 in the first leg of the AFF Championship final, courtesy of goals from Fahrudin Mustafic, Khairul Amri and Baihakki Khaizan, and emerged as the champions of Southeast Asia for the fourth time. Lion City Sailors FC will hope the stadium will bring similar luck for them at the Shopee Cup.
Rizal Memorial Stadium - Kaya FC - Iloilo
Also home to the Philippines national teams, Rizal Memorial Stadium in the Filipino capital city of Manila has the capacity to hold a crowd of 12,880. The 90-year-old venue also plays host to the bulk of matches in the Philippines Football League and also hosted the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup fixtures of Kaya FC - Iloilo and Cebu FC respectively last season.
The stadium was opened in 1934 and served as the main venue for the Asian Games held in the Philippines in 1954. It has also witnessed four Southeast Asian Games – hosting the men’s and women’s football competitions in the latest edition hosted by the Philippines in 2019.
Photo: Lion City Sailors FC
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