FIFA President Gianni Infantino has recently embarked on a series of engagements across Asia as the organization's presidential election approaches, aiming to strengthen support among the continent’s football associations. His latest activities included attending a ceremony in Macau to inaugurate new headquarters, signing an agreement in Mongolia for the construction of a national stadium, and opening a FIFA Arena mini-pitch in Uzbekistan.
Infantino’s visit culminated in Southeast Asia with the conclusion of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, a new regional tournament designed to bring together teams from the Asean Football Federation along with selected invitees. The event was hosted over two finals: the ASEAN Challenge Cup, a second-tier competition held in Hong Kong, and the main ASEAN Cup final in Jakarta, Indonesia. While the former saw Hong Kong defeat Cambodia 2-0 amid chants of “FIFA Mafia” directed at Infantino, the atmosphere in Jakarta was notably more favorable. Indonesian fans celebrated their national team’s victory over Thailand in a penalty shootout in front of 70,000 spectators.
The introduction of the ASEAN Cup marks FIFA’s attempt to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia, a region that already hosts a longstanding biennial tournament, the Hyundai ASEAN Cup, last won by Vietnam in August. Infantino first proposed the new competition at an Asean meeting in Kuala Lumpur last October, a move that reportedly caught the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) off guard and drew criticism for FIFA introducing a new tournament within the region’s established calendar.
The tournament encountered logistical and participation challenges. Initially, invitations were extended to China and India as part of a strategy to tap into the region’s vast population, but both declined to participate. India prioritized high-profile friendlies against Brazil, Panama, and Uruguay, while China faced a surprising 5-0 loss to Palestine in a preparatory match. Broadcasters showed limited enthusiasm, and some nations, such as Thailand, did not officially send teams or secured broadcast rights until later stages.
Despite these hurdles, scheduling the competition during an international window allowed countries to field their strongest squads, including Indonesia, which narrowly advanced from a dramatic group stage. Indonesia qualified ahead of Malaysia and Singapore after an intense final group match against Bangladesh, involving late goals in added time following controversial VAR reviews.
The other group, hosted in Bandung, Indonesia, saw Thailand secure first place but experienced lower attendance and less excitement throughout the matches. The tournament final between Indonesia and Thailand ended 2-2 after extra time, with Indonesia prevailing 4-2 in a penalty shootout. Both teams were led by English head coaches, John Herdman for Indonesia and Anthony Hudson for Thailand.
Questions remain regarding the long-term significance and acceptance of the ASEAN Cup. Outside of Indonesia, the competition’s impact appears limited, with some observers viewing it as potentially redundant given the region’s established tournaments. For Infantino, the primary objective may have been to consolidate political support ahead of the upcoming FIFA presidential election. Whether the ASEAN Cup will continue to feature prominently in the Asian football calendar or fade away if Infantino’s tenure ends remains uncertain.