14 Best Clubs in Southeast Asia Will Compete to Win the Shopee Cup Asean Club Championship

Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – The world of football is shocked by the latest news from the ASEAN Football Federation or ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The ASEAN Club Championship is back to ignite the passion of football fans, who can't wait to watch famous clubs from Southeast Asia compete in a world-class tournament. This first regional club tournament in Southeast Asia will bring a breath of fresh air to the football market climate in the region. Football fans and supporters have the opportunity to watch a total of 40 matches from various favorite clubs with the best games, as well as high-level tactical and skill battles.

Along with the news 'Comeback' of this prestigious tournament, AFF has also announced Shopee as an official partner, ASEAN Club Championship, which is named Shopee Cup™. Collaborating with main organizing partner, Shopee and exclusive commercial partner, SPORTFIVE, AFF wants to create an increasingly attractive future for ASEAN football clubs. In line with AFF's efforts to adjust the tournament schedule to the European competition calendar, the Shopee Cup™ is planned to start this year on July 17 and last until May 21 2025.

It's getting more interesting! Champions and runners-up of the Indonesian League 1 last season, PSM Makassar and Persija Jakarta were also invited to represent clubs from Indonesia to compete in the Shopee Cup this season. The tournament will be played in a league format with qualifying rounds play-offs and group phase, as many

The 14 best clubs in ASEAN will compete for the Shopee Cup™ ASEAN Club Championship title every year.

Major General Khiev Sameth, President of ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), said that this moment marked a historic step for ASEAN football. Shopee Cup™ will be an important aspect in creating an exciting future for ASEAN football clubs and transforming the football industry in the region. The Shopee Cup™ tournament will foster aspirations for well-known clubs to become ASEAN champions and appear successful in Asia.

“We are very proud to be able to partner with Shopee, an ASEAN company that is known globally and can be the main partner of the first ASEAN Club Championship. “Together, we made history by forming and accelerating the development of ASEAN football clubs,” he explained.

In line with this, Zhou Jun Jie, Chief Commercial Officer of Shopee said, Shopee is very pleased to be able to partner with the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), as the main sponsor of the biggest inter-club tournament in Southeast Asia, Shopee Cup™.

“This event offers us the opportunity to connect with fans throughout the Southeast Asia region and interact more closely with the younger generation, especially football fans and supporters. Through this collaboration, we hope to expand Shopee's reach, while at the same time continuing to entertain and continue to provide a pleasant experience for all users through an integrated ecosystem,” said Zhou Jun Jie.

Talking about the love of football, Southeast Asia, where Shopee operates, is known as one of the regions with the best football supporter euphoria in Asia, even the world. Various tournaments between countries and leagues in AFF member countries that have been successful have become the main barometer of the football industry in many countries.

The Shopee Cup™ will feature national league champions and cup winners (or runners-up in certain situations) from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (representing two teams per country), as well as the Philippines and Singapore (representing one team per country). National League champions Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will compete for two places in the Group Phase of the tournament during the qualifying play-off round.

The 12 clubs that have met the requirements will be drawn into two groups for the group phase with an Official Draw. After the Official Draw (Official Draw) is carried out, the clubs will start competing in the group phase which will be played on a home and away basis. The teams ranked first and second from each group at the end of the group phase will qualify for the semi-finals. The semifinals and final will be played in a home and away format.

The high enthusiasm of football fans will welcome the Shopee Cup™ tournament with great fanfare chants and the club's iconic supporters' chants. The game action of the star players from each competing club will be the center of attention, and high-level game strategies from experienced coaches will provide fierce battles throughout the full 90 minutes of game time. This will ignite the enthusiasm of tens of thousands of supporters who are predicted to enliven the stadium stands to support their proud club in winning the title of this prestigious tournament so that the fierce match that will take place will be very interesting to look forward to.

“As a representative of the AFF Council, I would like to express our appreciation for the partnership and support provided by Shopee. We hope that this good collaboration with Shopee and commercial partners, SPORTFIVE, can organize world-class football tournaments and be able to develop the football ecosystem ASEAN to a higher level,” concluded Khiev Sameth.

More complete information regarding the 2024/25 Shopee Cup™ season schedule and participating clubs will be provided at the Official Draw which will be held in the first week of May, with the date and venue to be announced soon.