AFF Cup 2024 changed schedule, Vietnam team's plan disrupted
The Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) decided to change the match schedule of the AFF Cup 2024, forcing the Vietnamese team to change its preparation plan.
According to the original plan, AFF Cup 2024 (new name is ASEAN Championship) opens on November 23, 2024. However, AFF has just announced a change in the schedule of the region's number 1 football tournament. Accordingly, AFF Cup 2024 opens on December 9, 2024 and ends on January 5, 2025 (old schedule takes place from November 23 to December 21, 2024).
The reason for this change is because AFF wants the AFF Cup 2024 to avoid overlapping with the schedule of the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2.
The AFC Champions League Elite group stage has 3 matches taking place from November 4 to December 4. Meanwhile, in the AFC Champions League 2 arena, most of the countries in Southeast Asia have representatives participating.
With the AFF changing the match schedule at the AFF Cup 2024, the plan of the Vietnam team will have to be adjusted. Initially, VFF planned to suspend V-League 2024/2025 from November 11 to December 21 so that the National Team can compete in AFF Cup 2024.
However, with the tournament moving to December 9, it is likely that the Vietnamese team will not gather the national team according to FIFA's schedule in November, so that the V-League 2024/2025 can compete during this time. It is expected that the Vietnamese team will gather from November 21, with about 2 weeks to prepare for the AFF Cup 2024.
According to the draw results of the AFF Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team is in the same group with Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos. Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team aim to win the championship./.
