Jakarta, 26 May 2025 - The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has today announced that Southeast Asia’s premier men’s national team tournament and the region’s top football event will be named the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ after its new title partner Hyundai Motor, the global smart mobility leader.

Under the agreement concluded by the AFF’s exclusive commercial partner SPORTFIVE, Hyundai is also a Presenting Partner of three other major ASEAN football championships - the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™, the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Cup™ and ASEAN U-23 Championship™, which together with the Hyundai Cup™, are collectively branded ASEAN United FC.

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor operates in over 200 countries and is dedicated to tackling global mobility challenges while transforming into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider through investments in robotics, Advance Air Mobility, and zero-emission technologies including hydrogen fuel cells and EV innovations. As a part of this forward-looking vision, football sponsorship has been a core element of Hyundai’s brand and sports marketing strategy, beginning in 1999 with its partnership with FIFA and expanding by becoming the official sponsor for CONMEBOL Libertadores in Latin America.

Hyundai Cup™ is the South Korean mobility provider’s first partnership with ASEAN football as it strategically targets Southeast Asia for growth - increasing its presence in the region’s key markets and strengthening its connection with the passionate ASEAN football community. The 2024 edition of ASEAN’s flagship event once again smashed records with an audience of 541.5 million and cumulative views of 12.66 billion on social media channels.

Mr. Sunny Kim, President, Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific said: “Football is more than a sport for Hyundai, it’s a platform that unites and empowers communities. With over 26 years of global partnerships, we see ASEAN as a region where football’s spirit thrives. This sponsorship aligns with our vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’ by supporting education, inclusion, and sustainable growth.

As the regional arm supporting Hyundai’s growth across Southeast Asia, Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific is proud to introduce ‘Move the Game’ through this sponsorship, reflecting our commitment to empowering everyday changemakers and shaping the future of mobility. Beyond automotive innovation, we strive to create social impact through initiatives such as the “Hyundai Kids Mobile Library”, an EV bus transformed into a learning space for children, uniting learning with opportunity. We proudly support progress both on and off the field.”

Major General Khiev Sameth, President, AFF, said: “On behalf of the ASEAN Football Federation and our Member Associations, we are honoured to welcome Hyundai, a global leader in mobility and innovation and a steadfast supporter of football as the Title Partner of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™.

Hyundai’s legacy of excellence and its unwavering commitment to the global football community align perfectly with AFF’s mission to drive the growth and development of football across Southeast Asia. The ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ embodies the highest aspirations of our region’s players, fans and nations. Together with Hyundai, we are poised to write an exciting new chapter, one that will inspire future generations, strengthen our communities, and proudly showcase the boundless spirit of ASEAN to the world."

Seamus O’Brien, President and Chairman of the Board, APAC, SPORTFIVE said: “Hyundai’s partnership heralds an important era for ASEAN football, and it is particularly significant in the evolution of the ASEAN Championship, a powerhouse event with unrivalled audiences and fan affinity in the region, into a major international event. It also comes at a pivotal moment as global focus shifts towards ASEAN’s emergence as an economic force.

"The rise of ASEAN’s national teams is on pace with the region’s increasing importance as one of the world’s most dynamic auto markets and manufacturing hubs. So too, the Hyundai Cup™ supports Hyundai’s strategy to grow Southeast Asia into becoming a major contributor to its global sales while strengthening its football dominance worldwide. We are very excited to work with Hyundai and the AFF to further elevate the Hyundai Cup’s stature, strengthen its position as ratings leader, and as importantly, to support Hyundai’s ambitions to achieve market leadership.”

The announcement was made at a press conference in Jakarta earlier today, attended by the AFF President Major General Khiev Sameth and General-Secretary Mr. Winston Lee, Mr. Sunny Kim, President, Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific and Mr. Seamus O’Brien, President and Chairman of the Board, SPORTFIVE Asia.

Learn more about the ASEAN United FC events at https://aseanutdfc.com/ and @aseanutdfc on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X and LinkedIn.

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Contact:

Colin Pereira
Senior Director, Media | APAC
[email protected]

About Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific Headquarter
Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific (HMAP) operates as the regional arm of Hyundai Motor Company, committed to advancing the future of mobility and fostering an EV ecosystem across the region. Extending across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, HMAP actively supports and collaborates with its subsidiaries in promoting and selling a diverse range of vehicles. Our regional network includes sales subsidiaries, manufacturing plants, and distributor partners.
https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en

About ASEAN Football Federation (AFF)
Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the AFF is the sub-regional governing body of football in the ASEAN region, and part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA. Founded in 1984, the AFF has 12 Member Associations – Australia, Brunei DS. Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The organisation administers football in Southeast Asia and manages its regional competitions which include the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™, ASEAN Cub Championship Shopee Cup™, ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup™ and ASEAN U-23 Championship™ among others.
aseanfootball.org / aseanutdfc.com / #aseanutdfc

The ASEAN Hyundai Cup™
The ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ is Southeast Asia's top international football tournament with 11 ASEAN nations battling for regional supremacy on a biennial basis. Since its inception in 1996, it has grown from a two week-long centralised tournament into a competition that is played across every Southeast Asian country over a four-week period in front of sold-out stadiums in Hanoi, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and beyond.

Thailand is the competition's most successful team with seven titles, but they were denied an eighth championship in 2024 after they were beaten 5-3 on aggregate in the final by Vietnam, who claimed their third title. Singapore is the competition's second most successful team with four championships while Malaysia have lifted the trophy once in 2010.

The competition has grown from strength to strength with each edition, setting records both on and off the field, to seal its position as the region’s largest, most popular football event. In 2024, it achieved a record 541.5 million viewers on television and digital streaming platforms while social media channels Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X registered 12.66 billion views of event-related videos.

About SPORTFIVE
SPORTFIVE is a global sports marketing agency that delivers customer-centric solutions based on trust and transparency, deep industry experience and global relationships, digital intelligence, and innovation. SPORTFIVE strategically and creatively connects brands, rightsholders, media platforms and fans to create and enable contemporary partnerships in sports.

The company has an impressive portfolio of football, golf, Esports, motorsport, handball, tennis, gridiron football, basketball, ice hockey, rugby, Olympics and multi-sport rights. Its football partnerships with governing bodies, teams, clubs and events extend across nearly every continent and include the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), Bundesliga clubs Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, Copa America 2024, the Football Association, Premier League and Premier League clubs Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC, the Barclays Women’s Super League, French Ligue 1 clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnaise, Serie A and US Soccer Federation among others.

SPORTFIVE’s team of 1,200 local experts are based in 15 countries around the world including 10 countries in Asia- Pacific where its operations are headquartered in Singapore.
sportfive.com