The 2025-26 ASEAN Club Championship, officially billed as the Shopee Cup, returns with 12 teams from seven nations set to compete for regional club honors, the report says. Buriram United enter as the side to beat after the Thai League 1 champions retained last season’s crown via a penalty shootout over Công An Hà Nội following a 5-5 aggregate draw, per the report.
Competition structure is unchanged for the new campaign, the report says, with the field split into two groups of six. Each team will play five home-and-away matches in the group stage, with only the top two in each group advancing to the knockout round. The semifinals and final will be contested over two legs, the report adds.
Group A is set to deliver a rematch of last season’s final, with Buriram and Công An Hà Nội among the contenders along with BG Pathum United, the report says. Three debutants — Selangor, Tampines Rovers and DH Cebu — complete Group A. The report notes Tampines as the only other past winners in the field besides Buriram, having won the tournament in its previous guise in 2005.
Group B features several high-profile entrants and new faces, the report says. Johor Darul Ta’zim and Bangkok United make their first appearances and are expected to be among the challengers alongside current Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors. Vietnam’s Thép Xanh Nam Định, Cambodia’s PKR Svay Rieng and Shan United round out Group B, per the report.
Ten clubs qualified automatically, with Philippines’ DH Cebu and Myanmar’s Shan United completing the group-stage lineup after playoff victories over Kasuka of Brunei Darussalam and Ezra of Laos, respectively, the report says. Five teams are making their debut in this edition, adding fresh intrigue to the regional competition.
Fans can follow action live on the ASEAN United FC YouTube channel, the report says. Recent reported results include Johor Darul Ta’zim 1-3 Buriram United and Selangor 2-1 Thép Xanh Nam Định, with the latter scoreline listed alongside May 13 in the report.
