Malaysian airline AirAsia has agreed a deal to sponsor the AFF Football Championship, a national team tournament organised by the Asean Football Federation.
AirAsia will serve as an official supporter of the tournament, which is also known as the AFF Suzuki Cup. The deal covers this year’s competition, which runs from November 18 to December 15.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, each group at this year’s event will feature five teams, with each team playing two matches at home and two away from home. The move will ensure that every participating country will play a match at home and is designed to enhance rivalries among the teams.
Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group chief executive and AirAsia X co-group chief executive, said: “I have always been a big believer in Asean football. I’ve watched every AFF since the inaugural in 1996 and I am thrilled to be able to work with them to support the biggest event in the region’s footballing calendar.
“Football is the people's game and AirAsia is the people's airline. We look forward to supporting the sport in Asean in a meaningful way and hope one day soon, we will have an Asean club championship to raise the game here further.”
This year’s tournament will mark the 12th staging of the AFF Football Championship. Thailand is the defending champion, having defeated Indonesia in the final of the 2016 competition.