AFF Cup 2022: Age of participating teams

If the SEA Games is designed as a playground for young players and each team is only allowed to register a maximum of 3 players over 23 years old, then the AFF Cup is where teams will use the best players possible in the hope of achieving high results.

Vietnam is the 4th "oldest"

Ilhan Fandi (Singapore) is the youngest player in the Fandi family, Ilhan. Photo: AFC

Many Southeast Asian teams are in a generational transition, with many young players on their roster. The most notable are the Laos and Cambodia teams, which are bringing squads with many young players to the AFF Cup 2022. Laos is the youngest team with an average age of 22, while Cambodia is right behind with an average age of 24.4. The Laos team has 14 players under 23, while the Philippines is next with 7 players. Their goal is the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.

The oldest team in the AFF Cup is Singapore with an average age of 28.6. This team also has the oldest player in the tournament, goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, 38 years old. The Vietnam team is ranked 4th in terms of "oldness" with an average age of 26. Recently, Coach Park has only added a few new faces such as Tuan Hai, Tuan Tai, Hoang Duc.

Vietnam is the only team in the AFF Cup 2022 without any players under 23 years old. In his last tournament as head coach of the Vietnam National Team, he called back "veteran" Van Quyet, determined to win the Gold Cup before saying goodbye to Vietnamese football. In the preliminary list that coach Park Hang-seo summoned in November, there were several potential U23 names such as Pham Dinh Duy, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Khuat Van Khang ... However, at the last minute, no one made it to the official list of 23 players for the AFF Cup 2022.

Some notable young faces

The AFF Cup is proud to be a tournament with a long history and is the cradle of many outstanding young talents, such as Nguyen Quang Hai, Pratama Arhan, Ikhsan Fandi and Kritsada Kaman. This time, experts focused on young stars 20 years old like Elkan Baggott (Indonesia) with a height of 1.93m. This outstanding center-back had his first international match at the AFF Cup 2020 and became a real threat in front of the opponent's goal in aerial situations.

20-year-old striker Sieng Chanthea (Cambodia) is one of the promising young talents of regional football. Sieng Chanthea has long been famous in the youth teams of Cambodia and is on the way to becoming the main striker for the national team. He was also honored in the typical team of the domestic tournament thanks to his excellent performance for Boeung Ket Club.

Mukhairi Ajmal (Malaysia) has just turned 21 years old, is considered one of the best young talents in Malaysian football. The 1.8m tall central midfielder will be the one to face Hoang Duc and Hung Dung in the near future. Mukhairi has just been nominated for the Best Young Player award in the country. Playing in the center of midfield, but also capable of moving to the wings, the young Malaysian star is known for his smooth ball control and highly accurate passes.

Ilhan Fandi (Singapore) is the youngest player in the Fandi family, Ilhan is looking to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers, Irfan and Ikhsan, in asserting his important position in the Singapore national team. The 20-year-old star has just signed an agreement to move to Belgium to continue his club career, promising to become a good partner of his brother Ikhsan in attack. A good physique (1.82m tall) and energetic playing style are the strengths of this star.