An exciting new era for football in Southeast Asia is
underway with the launch of ASEAN United FC seeing the region’s four major
tournaments fall under one banner.
Under the ASEAN United FC umbrella brand, the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the Shopee Cup (ASEAN Club Championship), the ASEAN U-23 Championship and the ASEAN Women’s Championship will elevate the profile of football across the region with the passion both on and off the pitch set to reach new heights.
Since the first-ever edition back in 1996, the Mitsubishi
Electric Cup has showcased the greatest players from Southeast Asia, with the
likes of Kiatisuk ‘Zico’ Senamuang, Bambang Pamungkas, Le Cong Vinh, Safiq
Rahim and Chanathip Songkrasin among those to have lit up the tournament.
And the quality of football on the pitch has been matched by the passion off it as the rivalries between supporters have helped make the competition one of the most colourful in world football as fans from across Southeast Asia have packed out stadiums to cheer their heroes onto glory.
The Mitsubishi Electric Cup will return for its 15th edition
in November with seven-time winners Thailand looking to claim a record-extending
eighth title. But with an ever-improving Indonesia, as well as former winners
Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam among the challengers, the upcoming campaign
promises to deliver in spectacular fashion.
Building on the success and popularity of the Mitsubishi
Electric Cup, the brand-new Shopee Cup will see the international rivalries
also played out at club level as the best teams from across Southeast Asia get
set to take part in the inaugural edition.
The qualifying rounds for the 2024/25 tournament will take place in July with the 12-team Group Stage kicking off in August and ending next February. Four sides will advance to Semi-Finals in April, with the two-legged Final taking place just over a year from now in May 2025.
The inaugural edition will feature National
League Champions and designated Cup winners (or runners-up in certain
instances) respectively of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (two teams
each), and Philippines and Singapore (one team each).
The National League Champions of Brunei,
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will compete for two places in the Group Stage of
the tournament in a qualifying play-off round. The identity of the clubs will
be revealed at the Official Draw on 9th May 2024.
With four of the region’s teams – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – having qualified for the ongoing AFC U23 Asian Cup in Qatar, there’s no doubt that ASEAN is currently producing no end of young players with the potential to compete with the best in Asia and beyond.
The ASEAN U-23 Championship will give fans across the region
the opportunity to witness some of the finest upcoming talent take to the pitch
as they aim to continue their journeys towards representing their senior
national sides.
The two finalists from the 2023 edition, winners Vietnam and
runners-up Indonesia, advanced to the knockout rounds in Qatar, with the
Indonesians set to play on in the third-place playoff against Iraq on Saturday
with the winner to book their ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics. And there are
sure to be a number of new ASEAN stars to emerge at the next U-23 Championship
in 2025.
Finally, completing the four-tournament line-up within ASEAN United FC, the ASEAN Women’s Championship will return for its 14th edition in 2025 – 21 years since Myanmar won the inaugural competition back in 2004.
Like the men’s U-23s, the women’s sides have excelled at
international level in recent times with both the Philippines and Vietnam
qualifying for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. The Philippines’ 1-0
victory over co-hosts New Zealand will be remembered as one of the greatest
results ever by an ASEAN team.
The Philippines (2022) and Vietnam (2019) won the two most
recent editions but, just like in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, it’s Thailand
who lead the way with four titles.
With four tournaments coming together to form ASEAN United
FC, a new beginning and an exciting future for ASEAN football is now well and
truly underway.
Share now
