Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the next edition of the ASEAN Championship -- officially known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 -- will pivot to a summer window, with the 16th iteration of the tournament set to take place from July 24 to Aug. 26, 2026.
The dates were officially announced on Friday afternoon, with ASEAN Football Federation president Khiev Sameth saying: "The ASEAN Hyundai Cup stands as Southeast Asia's premier international football competition, and we are delighted to confirm the dates for its next edition as the tournament marks its 30th anniversary -- which is a truly significant milestone in its evolution.
"We are deeply grateful to our supporters across the region who have demonstrated unwavering passion for and devotion to this tournament since its inception in 1996."
The single round-robin group stage will run from July 24 to Aug. 8, with the knockout round -- comprising home-and-away semifinals and final -- will take place from Aug. 15 to 26.
Since it was first held in 1996, the ASEAN Championship has been Southeast Asia's flagship tournament and is eagerly anticipated by fans all across the region every two years.
From 2000, the tournament has usually been held at the end or a start of a calendar year to accommodate most nations' respective domestic leagues.
Nonetheless, with these competitions since transitioning to roughly an August-to-May schedule, in line with many leagues around the world, the ASEAN Championship's pivot to a mid-year window should help in ensuring participating nations have an ideal opportunity to field their best players.
The last tournament, which was won by Vietnam, saw several teams have their hands tied when it came to player selection.
Most notably, Indonesia were unable to call upon a plethora of their Europe-based contingent and effectively fielded a U23 side that were eliminated in the group stage -- even though they had been expected to be among the title contenders. Likewise, record seven-time champions Thailand were missing a host of their most-famous names.
Next year's tournament will be the inaugural edition of the Hyundai Cup, after Hyundai Motor was announced as the competition's new title sponsor back in May -- marking the major South Korean conglomerate's first foray into Southeast Asian football -- having been a partner of FIFA since 1999 as well as owning the K League 1's record champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
"With over 26 years of global football legacy, Hyundai is proud to partner with the AFF as the title partner of the Hyundai Cup, marking the tournament's 30th anniversary, a celebration of legacy and progress," said Sunny Kim, president of Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific.
"With today's announcement, Hyundai takes another step in its mission to create impact beyond mobility, using the power of football to unite and inspire millions across ASEAN."
Across the ASEAN Championship's soon-to-be 30-year history, only four nations have been crowned champions: Thailand (1996, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022), Singapore (1998, 2004, 2007, 2012), Vietnam (2008, 2018, 2024) and Malaysia (2010).
Remarkably, Indonesia have finished runners-up on six occasions without ever lifting the trophy, and are the only other side to have contested a final.