FIFA’s new tournament brings more football to Southeast Asia.

FIFA World Cup 2026 – (Spcail Correspodend / Web Desk) – On Sunday, at the ASEAN conference in Malaysia, FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed a new football tournament for Southeast Asian nations.
Southeast Asia has already hosted the ASEAN Championship, a biannual regional competition, with Vietnam winning the most recent edition in January. However, Infantino stated that the new event will take place during FIFA’s international match window, allowing players from various leagues around the world to join their national teams.
“Through the FIFA ASEAN Cup, we are uniting countries together, and this competition will be a huge success,” Infantino told the crowd. “It will help boost national team football in the ASEAN region and will support the development of our sport across all of Southeast Asia.”
Infantino made the announcement hours after East Timor was formally admitted as ASEAN’s 11th member.

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“The number 11 is a symbolic one in the footballing world as each team has 11 players,” Infantino said.
Indonesia was the only team from an ASEAN member nation to advance beyond the third round of continental qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The new Southeast Asian tournament is expected to be staged in a similar format to the Arab Cup. FIFA said it would engage stakeholders including the Asian Football Confederation before finalizing the details.