SINGAPORE (4 April 2024) – The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has today announced Shopee as the title partner of the inaugural ASEAN Club Championship, to be named the Shopee Cup™. The partnership was concluded by the AFF’s exclusive commercial partner, SPORTFIVE, and also includes Shopee becoming a Presenting Partner of the AFF’s other major ASEAN Championships.
The Shopee Cup™, Southeast Asia’s first-ever official regional club competition to crown an ASEAN Club Champion annually, is driven by the passion for club football in one of the world’s largest consumer markets and Shopee’s home region. The tournament will be played in a league format with qualifying play-offs and a group stage, featuring 14 of ASEAN’s leading clubs in all, competing in 40 matches. In alignment with the regional move to follow the European calendar, the Shopee Cup™ kicks-off this year on 17 July and runs through to 21 May 2025.
Shopee, a subsidiary of the NYSE-listed Sea Limited (NYSE: SE), is Southeast Asia’s largest online marketplace.
Zhou Jun Jie, Chief Commercial Officer at Shopee said, “We are thrilled to partner with the ASEAN Football Federation as the title sponsor of the inaugural Shopee Cup™. The Shopee Cup™ presents an opportunity for us to connect with fans across the Southeast Asia region and engage with the youth demographic. Through this, we look forward to introducing the Shopee brand to new audiences and staying in touch with existing shoppers, in an entertaining and fun way.”
Major General Khiev Sameth, President of AFF said, “Today marks another monumental milestone in ASEAN football. The Shopee Cup™ will be pivotal in creating an exciting future for ASEAN club football and transforming the game in the region. This landmark tournament will nurture the aspiration for the region’s leading clubs to become the ASEAN champion and to perform successfully in Asia.
“We are very proud to partner with Shopee, a homegrown ASEAN company of global renown and the ASEAN Club Championship’s first title partner. Together, we are making history as we shape and accelerate the development of ASEAN club football.
Added Major General Khiev Sameth, “On behalf of the AFF Council, I wish to express our deep appreciation for Shopee’s title partnership and support. We look forward to working with them and our Commercial Partner SPORTFIVE, to deliver a world-class event and grow the ASEAN fan base to unprecedented levels.”
Seamus O’Brien, President and Chairman of the Board, SPORTFIVE Asia said, “For SPORTFIVE, having been central to many watershed achievements for Asian football over the last 30 years, this partnership with Shopee represents the most transformative of all. With the rise of ASEAN to the world’s fifth largest economy in recent decades, combined with the undying passion of ASEAN football fans, now all bound together in our contemporary digital landscape, makes this a truly significant occasion for the sport.
“We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues at the AFF and our partners at Shopee to bring this event to the hearts and minds of consumers and fans across ASEAN,” added Mr. Seamus O’Brien.
The Shopee Cup™ will feature National League Champions and designated Cup winners (or runners-up in certain instances) respectively of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (two teams each), and Philippines and Singapore (one team each). The National League Champions of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will compete for two places in the Group Stage of the tournament in a qualifying play-off round.
The 12 qualifying clubs will be drawn into two groups for the group stage in an Official Draw. The 30 group stage matches will be played on a home or away basis over five match days. The first and second placed teams of each group at the conclusion of the group stage will qualify for the semi-finals. The semi-finals and finals will be played on a home and away basis.
Further details about the competition format, the Shopee Cup™ season 2024/25 schedule and participating clubs will be provided at the Official Draw to be held in the first week of May, with the date and venue to be announced.
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