Football 

A draw of the  ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2026-27 is held on May 6 in Indonesia. Photo aseanutdfc.com

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese champions Hà Nội Police will play Malaysia's strongest side, Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), in the group round of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2026-2027.

Following an official draw conducted on May 5 in Jakarta, 16 teams representing regional clubs will compete in this year's tournament. Of these, 12 have already been drawn into their groups, while the remaining four teams have to vie for two available slots, one in each group.

Việt Nam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore each have two sides in the competition, while Thailand have three and Cambodia one. One club each from the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos and Brunei will compete for a berth in a two-legged series of matches in September.

V.League 1 champions Hà Nội Police will participate in the event, along with the National Cup match winners, who will be confirmed on June 14.

The Police are up against JDT in Group B, along with Indonesia Super League champions Persib Bandung, Thai League runners-up Port FC, reigning Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors, Cambodian Premier League winners Svay Rieng FC and whichever team wins the match between Shan United FC (Myanmar) and Ezra FC (Laos).

Of these, JDT are seen as the most threatening, after winning Malaysia's national league 12 times in a row.

Việt Nam's National Cup winners will be in Group A against defending champions Buriram United of Thailand, Ratchaburi FC (Thailand), Kuching City FC (Malaysia), Borneo FC Samarinda (Indonesia), Tampines Rovers (Singapore) and the winners of the match between Manila Digger FC (Philippines) and Kasuka FC (Brunei).

Matches are played in a single round-robin format, and each team will play three home and three away games, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

Hà Nội Police will play in Group B of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup. Photo courtesy of Hà Nội Police FC

“The success of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2025-2026 is a reflection of how far ASEAN football has come and a reminder of what we can achieve when we move forward together," said Major General Khiev Sameth, ASEAN Football Federation President.

“As we expand the competition from 14 to 16 clubs for the 2026/27 season and create a quarter-finals stage, we are embarking on an exciting new chapter for club football in Southeast Asia. 

"With 12 additional matches, this expansion reflects the growing strength, ambition and competitiveness of our region’s elite clubs, while creating greater opportunities for more teams, players and especially our devoted supporters to be part of ASEAN’s premier club competition."

He went on to note: “This growth is about more than numbers. It is about raising standards across ASEAN, strengthening our professional football ecosystems, fostering greater regional connectivity and inspiring excellence on and off the pitch.

“Together with Shopee, our valued partners and broadcasters, and exclusive commercial partner SPORTFIVE, we are building something that belongs to all of ASEAN, a competition that celebrates our talent and unites millions of fans through the power of football."

“The ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup is becoming a powerful platform for clubs to showcase their ambitions and contribute to the continued rise of ASEAN football on the regional and global stage,” he added.

The full fixtures list for the cup will be confirmed in due course.

Last season's tournament concluded just over a week ago, with Buriram defeating Selangor FC 3-1 on aggregate to successfully defend their crown.

This marked the second consecutive win for Buriram in this competition. Việt Nam's best result was the Police's second place in the 2024-2025 season, where they narrowly lost to Buriram in a penalty shootout during the final. — VNS