In a significant development at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) today formalised a renewed five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting football as a vehicle for education, inclusion, gender equality and sustainable development across Southeast Asia.
The agreement was signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn on the sidelines of the summit, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, serving as the 2025 ASEAN Chair, witnessing the ceremony.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Anwar said the collaboration reflects “a shared vision of empowering the next generation through sport”, noting that the region’s nearly 700 million people present both a vast opportunity and responsibility.
Under the terms of the renewed MoU, ASEAN and FIFA will collaborate across several key areas: promoting sports integrity, leveraging football for social and economic development, advancing inclusion initiatives, fostering gender equality and adapting sports infrastructure and programmes for climate resilience.
A highlight of the event was the official announcement of the new FIFA ASEAN Cup, a regional national-team tournament encompassing all 11 ASEAN member states. According to Infantino, the competition is envisioned as “a great addition to the regional football calendar… through the FIFA ASEAN Cup, we are uniting countries together”.
The tournament follows the model of the FIFA Arab Cup introduced in 2021 and is expected to inject fresh momentum into national-team football across Southeast Asia by offering increased competitive exposure.
Historically, the first MoU between the two organisations was signed in November 2019 in Bangkok. That agreement emphasised football’s role in healthy lifestyles, community building and combatting match-manipulation. The current renewal builds on that foundation and expands the agenda to broader social-impact themes.
Local stakeholders in Malaysia lauded the commitment. The summit setting in Kuala Lumpur also underscored the nation’s role as an active regional sports and diplomacy player. For youth in urban and rural communities alike, the enhanced cooperation signals more opportunities for access, training and exposure.
Analysts say the new MoU and the ASEAN Cup could help close the gap between Southeast Asia and other regions in world football, by providing sustained developmental frameworks and competitive platforms. Moreover, the focus on inclusion and climate adaptation aligns with broader ASEAN priorities under the summit theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.
For Malaysia in particular, hosting the summit and playing a witness role gives the country visibility in both sporting and diplomatic arenas. With youth football infrastructures likely to benefit from the MoU’s initiatives, Malaysian clubs and academies may receive added support, particularly in under-served areas.
The partnership comes at a time when football remains the most popular sport across the ASEAN region, and the new development matrix could create multiplier effects in grassroots sport, education and community cohesion.
Sources: ASEAN Secretariat News, Bernama, Reuters
