Proposal to play ASEAN Cup in late summer from 2026

The Vietnamese team has won the Southeast Asian championship three times in 2008, 2018, and 2024 - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH

The proposal to postpone the ASEAN Cup was made by the AFF Competition Committee at a meeting in Thailand on May 21.

Accordingly, the ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held from July 25 to August 26. The time right after the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, Mexico takes place from June 11 to July 19.

Historically, the ASEAN Cup - known as the Tiger Cup and AFF Cup - was held in August or September in the early years. Since 2000, the tournament has been scheduled to take place from November to January of the following year.

This time frame is now outdated as Southeast Asian national championships gradually change to a competition format spanning two years.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN Cup is not yet part of FIFA Days - the international competition period that forces all clubs to release players to the national teams.

Therefore, in recent times, the teams participating in the ASEAN Cup have always encountered difficulties due to conflicts of interest and clubs refusing to release players. For example, in the 2024 tournament, the Indonesian team was forced to use the U21 squad when it was unable to summon players playing in Europe.

The ASEAN Cup has been held 15 times, the Thai team is the most successful team with 7 championships (1996, 2000, 2020, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022), followed by (1998, 2004, 2007, 2012), Vietnam (2008, 2018, 2024) and Malaysia (2010).

Besides the ASEAN Cup, the AFF meeting also approved plans for other regional football tournaments.

The 2025 AFF Women's Championship will be hosted by Vietnam from August 6 to 19; the 2025 AFF U23 Championship in Indonesia from July 15 to 29; and the 2025-2026 AFF Club Championship will take place from August 2025 to May 2026.

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HOANG TUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-xuat-asean-cup-da-vao-cuoi-he-tu-nam-2026-20250521180409825.htm