KUALA LUMPUR – FIFA President Gianni Infantino today announced the launch of the FIFA Asean Cup, a new regional football tournament that will feature all 11 Southeast Asian nations in what he described as a major step to “bring the region together through football.”
Speaking after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on regional football development with Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Infantino said the competition will be scheduled within the FIFA International Match Calendar.
“We are launching this competition to give a real boost to football, featuring the best players within the framework of FIFA’s international match calendar, to make it truly impactful in the region and shine on the global stage,” he said.
“Football unites the world, and together with all 11 Asean countries, we are creating the FIFA Asean Cup. It’s a tournament that will bring the region together and become a huge success,” he added, as quoted by Bernama.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as Asean Chair for 2025.
Infantino said the MoU reflects FIFA’s determination to expand its development initiatives across the region, structured around three key pillars: integrity, safety, and education.
“The first pillar, of course, is integrity in the game. The second is ensuring a safe and secure environment for matches. The third is education – promoting learning through football and fostering development for girls, boys, women and men across the region,” he said.
He also noted the symbolic significance of Asean’s 11 member states: “A football team is composed of 11 players, so now the team is there – ready to win matches – and we at FIFA look forward to continuing our collaboration with Asean based on these key principles.”
When asked about perceived double standards in FIFA’s handling of the Israel and Russia cases, Infantino said he remained optimistic about peace efforts between Israel and Palestine following the recent Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, describing it as a “significant step towards global reconciliation and cooperation.”
“The spirit of peace was also reflected today through the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia,” he added.
“From FIFA’s point of view, our mission is to unite everyone, to build and preserve bridges among people and nations, because football and sport must strive to unite and bring people together.” — October 26, 2025