On the afternoon of July 4 in Bangkok (Thailand), the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) held a draw ceremony for the Southeast Asian Club Championship - Shopee Cup 2025/26, including two representatives of Vietnamese football, Nam Dinh Club and Hanoi Police Club.
The ASEAN Club Championship - marked a strong change when expanding the scale from 12 to 14 teams, increasing the total number of matches from 42 to 54 and extending the duration to 13 competition days.
The tournament consists of five stages: play-off round, group stage, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Vietnam's representatives at the tournament include Nam Dinh Club - the 2024/25 V.League champion and Hanoi Police Club - the 2024/25 National Cup champion and the current Shopee Cup runner-up.
According to the draw results, Hanoi Police Club is in Group A, competing with the teams: Buriram United and BG Pathum United (Thailand), Selangor FC (Malaysia), Tampines Rovers (Singapore), and the winner of the play-off match between Kasuka FC (Cambodia) and Dynamic Herb Cebu FC (Philippines).
Meanwhile, Nam Dinh Club is in Group B with opponents: Bangkok United (Thailand), Johor Darul Tazim (Malaysia), Lion City Sailors (Singapore), Svay Rieng (Cambodia) and the winner of the play-off match between Ezra FC (Laos) and Shan United (Myanmar).
The play-off stage is scheduled to take place on August 8, 2025.
The Group Stage will be a single round-robin tournament from August 2025 to February 2026, with each team playing three home and three away matches.
The top four teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
The quarter-finals will take place on 26 and 27 February 2026, followed by the semi-finals on 6 and 13 May 2026, in a two-legged knockout format.
The two finals will be held on a home-away basis, scheduled for May 20 and May 27, 2026.
Expanding the tournament scale and adjusting the match schedule is expected to improve professional quality, increase competitiveness and contribute to promoting the development of professional football in the Southeast Asian region.
The two Vietnamese representatives participating in the Shopee Cup 2025/26 also received high praise for their strength and are expected to become two candidates in the race to the championship.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/xac-dinh-bang-dau-cua-nam-dinh-va-cong-an-ha-noi-tai-giai-dong-nam-a-149270.html
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