FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the launch of the FIFA ASEAN Cup on 26 October 2025, following the signing of a memorandum of agreement at the 47th ASEAN Summit.[1][2][3] The ceremony in Kuala Lumpur was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Unilaterally initiated by FIFA, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) prior to the announcement was unaware of a plan for a second Southeast Asian men's tournament.[4]
The AFF has organised the ASEAN Championship since 1996, and is regarded as the premier tournament of the men's national football teams of Southeast Asia. However, they are usually held outside the official FIFA international window, and thus clubs are not obliged to release their players for the ASEAN Championship.[5] The FIFA ASEAN Cup plan follows the FIFA Arab Cup, a FIFA tournament for teams in the Middle East and North Africa region.[4]
On 20 March 2026, FIFA announced it has already approved the FIFA ASEAN Cup following an online meeting with the first edition to be held around September to October, after the 2026 ASEAN Championship from July to August.[5][6]
2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup
