The 15th edition of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup (AFF Cup) will feature Singapore facing off against Malaysia and defending champions Thailand in the group stages.
The biennial regional championship is set to commence on November 23, with matches scheduled on a home-or-away basis in a single round-robin format until December 7, as announced by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) on Tuesday (May 21).
Singapore’s Group A opponents also include Cambodia and either Brunei or Timor Leste. The latter two teams will contest a home-and-away play-off on September 7 and September 14 to secure a spot in the group phase.
In Group B, Vietnam, winners in 2008 and 2018, aim to surpass their runners-up finish in 2022 as they face Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Laos.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the home-and-away semi-finals, with the first leg scheduled for December 10 and December 11, followed by the second leg on December 13 and December 14.
The finals are slated to take place on December 17 and December 21.
Singapore, with four AFF Cup titles to their name (1998, 2004, 2007, and 2012), will be led by new head coach Tsutomu Ogura. The Lions recently held China to a 2-2 draw in a World Cup qualifier in March, followed by a 4-1 defeat in the subsequent match against the same opponents.
