The draw for the 2020 edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup has seen defending champions Vietnam drawn into the same group as 2018 finalists Malaysia. South-East Asia's premier football tournament was set to be held in 2020 but was ultimately postponed to December this year due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual draw for the tournament, which will be held from 5th December 2021 to 1st January 2022, was conducted on Tuesday. The tournament will be held at a centralised venue which will be finalised shortly.
While Malaysia and Vietnam were drawn into Group B alongside Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos, Group A headlines Thailand and Myanmar alongside Singapore, Philippines and Timor Leste/Brunei.
Thailand and Vietnam were the top two-ranked teams in the region and hence were kept apart in the draw. Myanmar and Malaysia (next best ranked teams) were also kept apart. Meanwhile, Timor Leste and Brunei will play a play-of to determine who makes it into Group A. Timor Leste will be the away team in the qualifier.
The 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, which saw a format change, was a huge success with Vietnam prevailing over Malaysia 3-2 in the two-legged final. Fans and pundits will relish the chance of seeing the two rivals go up against each other, this time in the group stage.
Vietnam have won the competition twice (2008 and 2018) while the most successful team in the history of the AFF Suzuki Cup is Thailand who have five titles to their name (1996, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016).
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