ASEAN Football Federation Officially Announces Shopee Cup™ ASEAN Club Championship, Shopee Becomes First Official Partner

Kapanlagi.com - Shopee brings surprises and new breakthroughs for football fans. Through the latest news brought by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), Shopee has been officially announced as the official partner of the ASEAN Club Championship, named Shopee Cup™. This collaboration was officially launched together with AFF's exclusive commercial partner, SPORTFIVE, and Shopee itself became the AFF Organizer Partner for other major ASEAN-level championships.

In the future, Shopee Cup™, the first official regional tournament in Southeast Asia, will crown the champion of the ASEAN Cup Championship every year. This is driven by the spirit and enthusiasm for football clubs in one of the world's largest consumer markets and where Shopee operates.

The tournament will be played in a league format with qualifying play-offs and group stages. There will be 14 renowned clubs in ASEAN competing in 40 matches. In line with regional efforts to follow the European competition calendar, Shopee Cup™ will start this year on July 17 and run until May 21, 2025.

Shopee, a subsidiary of Sea Limited listed on the NYSE (NYSE: SE), is the largest online shopping platform in Southeast Asia. Zhou Jun Jie, Shopee's Chief Commercial Officer, said, "We are delighted to partner with the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) as the main sponsor of the inaugural event, Shopee Cup™." Shopee Cup™ offers us the opportunity to connect with fans across the Southeast Asian region and interact more closely with the younger generation.

Through this collaboration, we hope to expand Shopee's reach and at the same time continue to entertain and provide a fun experience for all users."

Major General Khiev Sameth, President of AFF, said, "Today marks a historic step for ASEAN football. Shopee Cup™ will be an important aspect in creating an exciting future for ASEAN football clubs and transforming the game in this region. This tournament will foster aspirations for renowned clubs to become ASEAN champions and succeed in Asia."

"We are very proud to partner with Shopee, an ASEAN company known globally and able to become the main partner of the first ASEAN Club Championship. Together, we are making history by shaping and accelerating the development of ASEAN football clubs."

Major General Khiev Sameth added, "As a representative of the AFF Council, I would like to express our appreciation for the partnership and support provided by Shopee. We hope to work together with Shopee and commercial partner, SPORTFIVE, to organize world-class events and develop the ASEAN fanbase to a higher level."

Seamus O'Brien, President and Chairman of the Board, SPORTFIVE Asia, said, "For SPORTFIVE, which has been at the center of many important achievements in Asian football for 30 years, this partnership with Shopee is the most transformative. With the rise of ASEAN as the fifth largest economy in the world in recent decades, combined with the high spirits of ASEAN football fans, who are now united in the modern digital landscape, this becomes a very important event for the sports world."

"We hope to collaborate with our colleagues at AFF and our partners at Shopee to make this event memorable in the hearts and minds of consumers and fans throughout ASEAN," added Mr. Seamus O'Brien.

Shopee Cup™ will feature the National League Champions and Cup winners (or runners-up in certain situations) from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam (two teams each country), as well as the Philippines and Singapore (one team each country). Champions of the National Leagues of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar will compete for two spots in the Group Stage of the tournament during the qualifying playoff.

12 qualified clubs will be drawn into two groups for the group stage with the Official Draw. 30 group stage matches will be played with a home and away system over five match days. The teams ranked first and second in each group at the end of the group stage will advance to the semifinals. Semifinals and finals will be played in a home and away format.

Curious about more detailed information on the competition format, schedule of the Shopee Cup™ 2024/25, and which clubs will be participating? Stay tuned for the information that will be revealed during the Official Draw in the first week of May. Stay tuned for the date and location!

(kpl/wri)