FIFA launches a new tournament, will the AFF Cup be discontinued?

Will the AFF Cup be impacted following FIFA’s announcement of the new FIFA ASEAN Cup tournament?

During the 47th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a significant milestone was reached. FIFA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a new phase of cooperation. Alongside this, both parties proudly announced the launch of the FIFA ASEAN Cup football tournament – a regional competition expected to significantly boost football development in Southeast Asia.

Immediately after the signing ceremony, FIFA officially unveiled the FIFA ASEAN Cup, a tournament for national teams from FIFA member associations in Southeast Asia, modeled after the FIFA Arab Cup.

The announcement of the FIFA ASEAN Cup is clearly great news for Southeast Asian football and the Vietnam national team. It offers the region a chance to participate in a more professional and structured competition. Furthermore, this tournament will definitely be recognized officially with a higher FIFA ranking coefficient.

However, the question arises: with the introduction of the FIFA ASEAN Cup, will the AFF Cup continue to be held given that both tournaments serve Southeast Asia? The AFF Cup is held annually towards the end of the year but does not fall within FIFA international match windows. Nevertheless, with its long history, it remains a highly valued competition among top Southeast Asian national teams.

The creation of the FIFA ASEAN Cup might reduce the value and appeal of the AFF Cup. However, it is still unclear what decisions FIFA and the Southeast Asian Football Federation will make regarding the future of the AFF Cup once the FIFA ASEAN Cup is introduced. If the FIFA ASEAN Cup becomes an annual event, the discontinuation of the AFF Cup is quite possible.

Yet, if the FIFA ASEAN Cup follows the FIFA Arab Cup model and is held every four years, Southeast Asian football still needs an annual competition for the regional teams to compete regularly. Maintaining both tournaments at this time seems to be the more reasonable option. The FIFA ASEAN Cup will be a more competitive event, but the AFF Cup remains a vital yearly platform.