The ASEAN Football Federation has officially announced the seeding pots for the upcoming ASEAN Club Championship – Shopee Cup 2024/25, based on the 2022 AFC club competitions ranking. This regional club football tournament will feature 12 teams, which have been categorized into three seeding pots, with the aim to ensure a balanced and competitive group stage.
The teams have been allocated into the pots as follows:
Pot 1 includes Thailand’s Buriram United and BG Pathum United FC, along with Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur City FC and Terengganu FC. These clubs represent the highest-ranked teams in the tournament, having consistently performed well in their respective national leagues and international competitions.
Pot 2 features Vietnam’s Hanoi Police and Dong A Thanh Hoa, Indonesia’s PSM Makassar, and Borneo FC Samarinda. These teams have shown significant progress in their domestic leagues and are expected to be strong contenders in the championship.
Pot 3 consists of the Philippines’ Kaya FC – Iloilo Club and Singapore’s Lion City Sailor FC Club, along with two additional teams that will qualify from the play-off round. The play-off round will see Myanmar’s Shan United FC, Cambodia’s Svay Rieng FC, Laos’ Young Elephant FC, and Brunei’s Kasuka FC competing in home and away matches to secure their spots in the group stage.
The tournament’s format will divide the twelve teams into two groups, A and B, with each group comprising six teams. This structure is designed to maximize the number of matches each team plays and ensure a fair chance for all clubs to progress to the later stages of the competition.
The introduction of such a format, along with the strategic seeding of teams, is aimed at enhancing the competitive nature of the ASEAN Club Championship and providing a platform for clubs in the region to showcase their talents on a larger stage. Fans across Southeast Asia are eagerly anticipating the commencement of the tournament, expecting thrilling encounters and high-quality football from some of the best clubs in the region. The ASEAN Club Championship – Shopee Cup is setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting chapter in ASEAN football history.
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