FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced a brand-new regional tournament for Southeast Asian nations on Sunday, October 27, 2025, during the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The competition, officially named the FIFA ASEAN Cup, aims to provide a stronger platform for national teams from the region.

Southeast Asia already has the biennial AFF Championship, with Vietnam winning the most recent edition in January. However, Infantino noted that the new tournament will differ by being scheduled during FIFA’s international match windows, which ensures that top players from leagues around the world are released to join their national squads.

“Through the FIFA ASEAN Cup, we are uniting countries together, and this competition will be a huge success,” Infantino said. “It will help boost national team football in the ASEAN region and will support the development of our sport across all of Southeast Asia.”

The announcement came just hours after East Timor (Timor-Leste) was officially accepted as ASEAN’s 11th member. Infantino pointed out the symbolic significance of the number, saying “The number 11 is a symbolic one in the footballing world, as each team has 11 players.”

Among ASEAN nations, only Indonesia advanced beyond the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This highlights performance gaps that the new competition hopes to help narrow by providing more meaningful matches and international-level exposure.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup is expected to follow a structure similar to the FIFA Arab Cup, which successfully elevated regional football competitiveness. FIFA confirmed that it will collaborate with key partners including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the national associations before finalizing tournament details such as hosting, scheduling and format.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy supported by a renewed Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and ASEAN, focused on football development, youth training, women’s football, and social sustainability. The partnership reinforces the role of football as a unifying force capable of connecting communities across the region.

With the FIFA ASEAN Cup now officially on the roadmap, Southeast Asian football fans can look forward to a major new stage that promises to raise competitive standards, showcase homegrown stars and strengthen the region’s presence in world football.