TITLE HOLDERS BURIRAM UNITED FC TO FACE FAMILIAR FOES IN ASEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SHOPEE CUP™ DEFENCE

Back-to-back defending champions Buriram United FC will face fellow Thai League 1 outfit Ratchaburi FC and a rematch with Singapore Premier League side Tampines Rovers FC after the Official Draw for the Group Stage of the 2026/27 ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ was conducted in Jakarta on Friday.

Following the success of the first two editions, the 2026/27 Shopee Cup™ season features an expansion from 14 to 16 of the region’s most renowned and storied clubs and the introduction of a quarter-finals phase in the knock-out stage. The total number of matches will increase from 40 to 56.

ASEAN’s national league champions and runners-up or Cup winners who will join title holders Buriram United who qualify automatically, include Shopee Cup™ 2024/25 runners-up Công An Hà Nội FC, Malaysia treble winners Johor Darul Ta’zim FC and Indonesia Super League treble champions Persib Bandung, who are making their debut.

The other newcomers who will join the third season of Southeast Asia’s premier club competition which kicks off in September and runs through to June next year are Kuching City FC of Malaysia, Manila Digger FC of the Philippines and Thailand’s Port FC and Ratchaburi FC.

Two clubs each from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, one club from Cambodia and the winners of the Qualifying Round Play-Offs featuring the league champions of Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines will complete the Group Stage line-up.

The results of the Official Draw are as follows:  

Shopee Cup™ 2026/27 Qualifying Round Play-Offs

Shopee Cup™ 2026/27 Group Stage

Buriram United, who won the first two editions of the Shopee Cup™, will face tournament debutants Kuching City and Ratchaburi after being drawn in Group A. Borneo FC Samarinda and Tampines Rovers who are returning to the competition, and the winners of the play-off between Kasuka FC of Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines’ Manila Digger complete the group.

Last season’s semi-finalists JDT will face off against 2024/25 runners-up Công An Hà Nội in Group B with Port from Thailand making their first appearance in the competition alongside the returning PKR Svay Rieng FC and Lion City Sailors FC, plus first-timers Persib Bandung and either Ezra FC or Shan United FC.

The top four teams in each group will progress to the home-or-away quarter-finals.  The semi-finals and final will be played on a home-and-away basis.

Major General Khiev Sameth, ASEAN Football Federation President, said: “The success of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ 2025/26 is a reflection of how far ASEAN football has come and a reminder of what we can achieve when we move forward together.

“As we expand the competition from 14 to 16 clubs for the 2026/27 season and create a quarter-finals stage, we are embarking on an exciting new chapter for club football in Southeast Asia.  With 12 additional matches, this expansion reflects the growing strength, ambition and competitiveness of our region’s elite clubs, while creating greater opportunities for more teams, players and especially our devoted supporters to be part of ASEAN’s premier club competition.

“This growth is about more than numbers. It is about raising standards across ASEAN, strengthening our professional football ecosystems, fostering greater regional connectivity and inspiring excellence on and off the pitch.

“Together with Shopee, our valued partners and broadcasters, and exclusive commercial partner SPORTFIVE, we are building something that belongs to all of ASEAN, a competition that celebrates our talent and uniting millions of fans through the power of football.

“The ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ is becoming a powerful platform for clubs to showcase their ambitions and contribute to the continued rise of ASEAN football on the regional and global stage.”

Daniel Minardi, Director of Business Partnerships, Shopee Indonesia, said: “At Shopee, we believe sport has a unique ability to connect people and strengthen communities across the region, and we are grateful to the ASEAN Football Federation, SPORTFIVE, participating clubs, and fans for their continued support in making the Shopee Cup™ a truly meaningful and memorable platform for ASEAN football.”

Buriram United FC successfully defended their Shopee Cup™ crown in the recently concluded 2025/26 season after defeating Selangor FC 3-1 on aggregate in the final, reinforcing their stature as kings of ASEAN Club football.

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