The AFF Cup has been renamed the ASEAN Championship starting this year. Announced last February by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), this change is accompanied by the launch of a new logo featuring the Unity Weave as its central symbol, representing the unity of ASEAN countries.
This is not the first time the tournament has been renamed. Since its inception in 1996, this ASEAN football tournament has undergone several name changes as sponsors have changed.
Singapore hosted the first AFF Cup, involving ten national teams. Six teams (Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam) came from the founding AFF countries, while four teams (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) were invited as participants.
Initially, the tournament was called the Tiger Cup, named after its main sponsor at the time, Asia Pacific Breweries (now Heineken Asia Pacific), the Singaporean brewer of Tiger Beer. This name lasted until 2004, after which it changed.
When Asia Pacific Breweries withdrew as the main sponsor, the tournament was renamed the AFF Cup in 2007.
In 2008, the tournament was renamed the AFF Suzuki Cup after Suzuki, a Japanese automotive company, became the main sponsor. This name lasted until 2020.
After that, Mitsubishi Electric took over as the main sponsor, and the tournament was renamed the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup in 2022.
With the renaming of the AFF Cup to the ASEAN Championship this year, the tournament is now known as the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup for its 15th edition.
In addition to the name change, the format of the ASEAN Championship has evolved over time. From its inception in 1996 until 2002, the AFF Cup adopted a round-robin format with a single-leg final hosted by one of the teams.
However, starting in 2004, the format changed. The group stage continued with the round-robin format, while the semifinals and final adopted two legs on a home-and-away format.
New Name, New Logo
The 15th edition of the AFF Cup has been renamed the ASEAN Championship and has a new logo.
The new logo comprises three main elements: the trophy, the ASEAN Unity Weave, and the tournament name, encapsulated within a large shield. The Unity Weave, shaped like interlocking rice stalks in five colors from each ASEAN country flag, symbolizes unity among the 12 AFF members amid the spirit of competition.
AFF President, Khiev Sameth, explained that the new logo represents football lovers in Southeast Asia and brings new spirit, solidarity, and shared enthusiasm for football in the ASEAN region.
