ASEAN Football Federation announces new date for AFF Cup draw

AFF Cup is set to return from Dec. 5, 2021 to Jan. 1, 2022. The draw for the tournament was supposed to commence on Aug. 10 in Singapore, but the date has been pushed back to Sept. 21.

Due to the current Covid-19 situation, the draw may take place online. No information has been revealed on the format or host country of the tournament.

Vietnam are the defending champions, having won the title in 2018. They are the number one seed along with Thailand. The second seeds are Malaysia and Indonesia, while the third seeds are the Philippines and Myanmar. The fourth-seeded group comprises Singapore and Cambodia, while the fifth seeds are Laos and the winner of the playoff between Timor Leste and Brunei.

Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore are the potential hosts for AFF Cup this year if these countries could guarantee pandemic safety measures.

Coach Park Hang-seo will have a busy few months ahead with AFF Cup and four more World Cup qualifying games in 2021. Park will also have to manage the U22 team in the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers in late October.