VFF president Trần Quốc Tuấn chaired the 16th meeting of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Competitions Committee in Tokyo, Japan, on 23 October 2026. Báo Văn Hóa and Bongdaplus report that AFF president Khiev Sameth attended, and that the agenda covered issues arising in the Shopee Cup 2026/27, the draft 2027 AFF calendar and regulations, bids to host the ASEAN U17 Championship, and timing options for the ASEAN Championship, better known as the ASEAN Cup, in 2028 and 2029.
On the same trip to Japan, Tuấn also attended the Asian Football Confederation's 2026 Extraordinary Congress, Bongdaplus reports.
The agenda at a glance
| Item | Status per sources | Why Vietnam cares |
|---|---|---|
| Shopee Cup 2026/27 | Issues reviewed and handled | Clubs in the competition |
| 2027 AFF calendar and rules | Still a draft | Teams plan around it |
| ASEAN U17 Championship | Hosting bids reviewed; plan to make it an Asian qualifier | Vietnam's U17 generation |
| ASEAN Cup 2028 and 2029 | Timing options discussed, nothing decided | Vietnam national team |
On the Shopee Cup, the region's club championship, Bongdaplus says the committee dealt with issues in line with the competition rules, technical and operational requirements and commercial commitments, while protecting fairness and integrity. None of the sources specify what the issues were.
The youth item is a proposal. Báo Văn Hóa describes an intention to use the ASEAN U17 Championship as a qualifying route for the AFC U17 Asian Cup, and Bongda24h stresses the plan is still being studied.
Could the ASEAN Cup move?
Bongda24h reads the 2028-2029 discussion as a sign that the AFF is rethinking the schedule of the region's biggest national-team tournament, but notes that no options were published and no change has been confirmed. The AFF says early planning is meant to avoid fixture clashes and give member associations time to prepare. The competition, formerly the AFF Cup, has usually been played at the end of the year; the 2026 edition, marking 30 years of the event, was staged in the summer after the 2026 World Cup.
What it means for Vietnam
As committee chair, Tuấn steers the discussions on how Southeast Asian competitions are organised, Báo Văn Hóa notes, which puts the VFF at the centre of drafting the regional calendar. For the national team, Bongda24h points out, the ASEAN Cup dates shape training camps, squad preparation and access to players based abroad. At club level, Bongda24h recalls that Nguyễn Quang Hải and his teammates lost the first Shopee Cup final to Buriram United.
What comes next
The 2027 calendar and regulations remain drafts and the 2028 and 2029 ASEAN Cup windows are still open; the sources give no date for a decision. Follow upcoming regional fixtures on our Vietnam national team fixtures page.