Malaysia and Singapore Are Drawn Together in the First FIFA ASEAN Cup and Clubs Have to Release Their Players
The inaugural tournament runs from 24 September to 5 October across Indonesia and Hong Kong. Unlike the ASEAN Championship, it sits inside a FIFA window.
The first FIFA ASEAN Cup runs from 24 September to 5 October across two host countries and two divisions.
The Premier Division has eight teams and is hosted by Indonesia, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung. The Challenge Division has six teams and is hosted by Hong Kong, at Kai Tak Stadium and Mong Kok Stadium in Kowloon.
Malaysia, ranked 136th in the world, and Singapore, ranked 148th, are together in Premier Division Group A. Thailand, ranked 94th and the highest-placed side in the field, is in Group B. Challenge Division matches begin on 24 September, Premier Division Group A on the 25th and Group B on the 26th.
The detail that separates this from the existing ASEAN Championship is the calendar. This tournament sits inside an official FIFA international window, which obliges clubs to release players. The ASEAN Championship has never had that status, and its December fixtures have repeatedly meant national teams arriving without players their clubs declined to release.
For Malaysia in particular, whose recent squads have leaned heavily on players contracted to clubs inside and outside the region, the difference between a mandatory release window and a request is the difference between two different teams.
Fourteen teams are entered in total, including guest nations Pakistan and Bangladesh. China declined its invitation in order to concentrate on AFC Asian Cup preparation, and India withdrew to play a friendly against Brazil.
That both regional invitees chose other commitments over the inaugural edition is worth noting. A tournament's first year is when it establishes whether it is a fixture or an option.