The announcement was made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on football development, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Malaysia, on October 26.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament was established to breathe new life into football in the region, and at the same time act as a symbol of solidarity of ASEAN countries through the most popular sport in the world.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Mr. Infantino and ASEAN General Secretary Kao Kim Hourn, witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as ASEAN Chair in 2025.
In addition, the event also had the presence of leaders of all ASEAN countries.
The previous memorandum of understanding between FIFA and ASEAN was signed in November 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Infantino described the Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and 11 ASEAN member states as "very special".
He said: "The number 11 is a symbolic number in the world of football because each team consists of 11 players. This tournament aims to truly promote football with the best players in the FIFA international competition schedule, to create a real impact not only in the region but also shine around the world.
Football unites the world and we are uniting the world with 11 ASEAN countries. The FIFA ASEAN Cup will be a great success in the region".
The head of FIFA said that ASEAN is one of the most dynamic regions in the world in football with more than 700 million fans, making it one of the largest markets for this sport with high development potential.
In the Memorandum of Understanding, Infantino said that the cooperation focuses on a number of core principles, specifically integrity in games, a safe and secure environment for games, education throughout football training and football development throughout the region.
"We want to ensure that football continues to develop in a safe environment and nurture many generations of young people, women and children in the region," he said.
Mr. Infantino did not provide detailed information about the FIFA ASEAN Cup, including the start date. However, the tournament will be held according to the FIFA Arab Cup model, which started in 2021.
FIFA will closely coordinate with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Southeast Asian Football Confederation (AFF) and FIFA member federations of ASEAN countries to agree on the competition format of the FIFA ASEAN Cup in the coming time.
