Hà Nội FC players during a V.League 1 match against Bình Định on September 2 at Hàng Đẫy Stadium. The team are top of the tournament's table and may be Việt Nam's representative at the AFF Club Cup in 2023. Photo courtesy of Hà Nội FC

HÀ NỘI — The 2023 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Club Championship will start on September 27 2023, and end on May 15, 2024, the AFF Competition Committee announced at an online meeting on Monday.

The tournament will consist of 12 clubs; Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Việt Nam will each send two clubs, while the Philippines and Singapore will have one representative each.

The final two spots will be decided through a play-off between teams from Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.  

The two-leg play-offs are scheduled for between August 26 and 29.

The teams will be divided into two groups, competing in the same format as the AFF Cup. Total prizes, including support for participating clubs, will add up to US$1.5 million. 

The organisers also announced information regarding other competitions.

The AFF U23 Championship will be scheduled to suit the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the schedule of FIFA's international matches.

The 2023 AFF women's U19 and U16 tournaments are planned to take place in July and August 2023, respectively. The AFF Women's Football Championship will be held on September 18, 2023, to October 8, 2023.

Meanwhile, the 2023 AFF Futsal Championship is slated for October 2-13, 2023. It will be a qualification for the 2024 Asian Futsal Championship.

The 2023 AFF Futsal Clubs Championship and the 2023 AFF Beach Football Championship will also move to 2024 to avoid clashing with the calendar of other AFC events.

Due to a clash with the FIFA U20 World Cup schedule and AFC Asian U20 Finals, the ASEAN U17 and U20 tournaments will be organised in 2024 instead of 2023.

Việt Nam Football Federation Acting President who is Deputy Head of the AFF's Competition Committee also suggested competitions for U15 and U18 players in 2024 so that the youngsters will have a chance to enjoy international experience. VNS