The Asean Football Federation (AFF) announced on Friday that the AFF Suzuki Cup would be held from April 11 to May 8 next year.
“The AFF hopes that the announcement of the 2021 tournament dates will provide some clarity in planning for our commercial partners, including sponsors and media broadcasters, at a time of uncertainty,” AFF president Khiev Sameth said in a statement.
The AFF Suzuki Cup was initially scheduled near the end of 2020 but the pandemic has forced the rescheduling of the event.
With the AFF opting to keep the home-and-away format of the group stages instead of holding a bubble, the organization ultimately decided to push the supposed 2020 edition of the Suzuki Cup to 2021.
“While we are well aware that the fight against the global pandemic is not over, we are cautiously optimistic for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 to take place in its full format as we hope to deliver the best of Asean in the tournament next year,” Sameth added.
The AFF Suzuki Cup will be the first known tournament for the Philippine Azkals next year.
With the Suzuki Cup and the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers postponed to 2021, the national team has not had the chance to play in 2020.*PNA
