6 months ago
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino unveiled a caller shot tourney for Southeast Asian nations connected Sunday (October 27, 2025) astatine the Association of Southeast Asian Nations acme successful Malaysia.
Southeast Asia already stages the ASEAN Championship, a biennial determination competition, with Vietnam winning the astir caller variation successful January. But Mr. Infantino said the caller tourney volition beryllium held during FIFA’s planetary lucifer window, allowing players from leagues astir the satellite to articulation their nationalist teams.
“Through the FIFA ASEAN Cup, we are uniting countries together, and this contention volition beryllium a immense success,” Mr. Infantino said. “It volition assistance boost nationalist squad shot successful the ASEAN portion and volition enactment the improvement of our athletics crossed each of Southeast Asia.”
Mr. Infantino made the announcement hours aft East Timor was formally admitted arsenic ASEAN’s 11th member.
“The fig 11 is simply a symbolic 1 successful the footballing world, arsenic each squad has 11 players,” Mr. Infantino said.
Indonesia was the lone squad from an ASEAN subordinate federation to beforehand beyond the 3rd circular of continental qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The caller southeast Asian tourney is expected to beryllium staged successful a akin format to the Arab Cup. FIFA said it would prosecute stakeholders, including the Asian Football Confederation, earlier finalising the details.
