|
Southeast Asia's most popular football tournament is adding two more teams for its next edition in 2018. The 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup will be contested by 10 nations after a decision on Tuesday by the Asean Football Federation. The increase in teams comes with a different, fan-friendly format. The two groups of five teams will play two home, and two away games, before the knockout stages. The semifinals and final will remain a two-legged affair, home and away. Football Association of Malaysia secretary-general Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin applauded the change in structure for next year's competition. "We have not seen the full details of the new format yet. But the competition is certainly going to be on a longer duration with the home and away format. It will certainly help generate more income [through gate collections] for the participating teams," he told The Star. "Previously, only two countries were allowed to host the group-stage competition. The Suzuki Cup has a good following, and I'm sure the fans will come to support our matches." Thailand are the defending Suzuki Cup champions, having won the last two editions to have a record five titles, one more than Singapore.
|
