By Francis Allan L, Angelo
Iloilo’s Kaya Futbol Club will carry the Philippines flag in the inaugural ASEAN Shopee Cup™, a tournament featuring fourteen clubs from ten ASEAN countries competing for a slice of the US$3 million total prize fund.
The games will start in July following the official draw held recently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The tournament kicks off with Young Elephants FC (Laos) facing Svay Rieng FC (Cambodia) and Kasuka FC (Brunei) battling Shan United FC (Myanmar) in home-and-away qualifying play-offs on July 17 and 24. These matches will determine the final two teams to join the group stage.
Two groups of six teams each will compete across five midweek match days in a single round-robin format, with both home and away matches played. Clubs from the same country will not play against each other during the initial phase.
Group A includes Thailand’s League 1 BG Pathum United FC, Terengganu FC (Malaysia), PSM Makassar (Indonesia), and Ðông Á Thanh Hóa FC (Vietnam), with two more teams joining after the qualifying round playoffs.
Group B features Buriram United FC (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur City FC (Malaysia), Công An Hà Nôi FC (Vietnam), and Borneo FC (Indonesia), alongside Kaya FC (Philippines) and Lion City Sailors (Singapore).
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for April 2 and 30, 2025, on a home-and-away basis, with the finals set for May 14 and 21, 2025.
“We’re delighted to be another step closer to the kick-offs after finalizing the draw for the 2024/25 ASEAN Shopee Cup™,” said Major General Khiev Sameth, President of AFF. “We look forward to having the Shopee Cup™ become a platform for the region’s best clubs to test themselves and elevate the standard of the game.”
Huiyan Pan, Regional Marketing Lead of Shopee, added, “As a fun-loving brand, we hope that the Shopee Cup™ will not only bring enjoyable moments to fans but also unite the ASEAN football community in a celebration of skill and passion. We cannot wait for you to catch the Shopee Cup trophy in-person, as it tours across the region.”
Match venues and kick-off times will be announced later. Fans can tune in via the newly-launched ASEAN United FC, the official digital hub for all major AFF tournaments including the Shopee Cup™.
For more information, visit aseanutdfc.com or follow @aseanutdfc.
