 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 November – 15 December |
| Teams | 10 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 12 (in 10 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Vietnam (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Malaysia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 80 (3.08 per match) |
| Attendance | 757,570 (29,137 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Adisak Kraisorn(8 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Nguyễn Quang Hải |
| Fair play award | Malaysia |
← 2016 2020 → | |
The 2018 AFF Championship was the 12th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the 6th under the name AFF Suzuki Cup.[1] This was the first time a new format has been applied with the group stage was played in a home-and-away format instead of be hosted in two nations from 2002 to 2016.
The final tournament ran from 8 November and ended on 15 December 2018.[2] Through the agreement between AFF and East Asian Football Federation (EAFF), the winner of the tournament will qualify for the AFF–EAFF Champions Trophy.[3]
Thailand were the two-time defending champions, but lost to Malaysia in the semi-finals.[4] Vietnam won the tournament by a 3–2 victory in the two-legged final against Malaysia to secure their second title,[5][6][7] and subsequently qualified to meet 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship winner of South Korea in the 2019 AFF–EAFF Champions Trophy.[8][9]
- ^ "Suzuki returns as AFF Championship title sponsor". Sports Pro Media. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "New format for AFF Suzuki Cup 2018". ASEAN Football Federation. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ "AFF, EAFF introduce Champions Trophy for Regional Winners". ASEAN Football Federation. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Thailand suffer shock exit in AFF Suzuki Cup". The Nation. 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ "Vietnam edge Malaysia for title". Asian Football Confederation. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ Trung Hung (15 December 2018). "Vietnam win second AFF Cup trophy". Nhân Dân. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Vietnam crowned at AFF Championship after 10 years of waiting". Xinhua News Agency. 16 December 2018. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Huyen Huong (17 December 2018). "Vietnam to meet South Korea in AFF- EAFF Champions Trophy". Sài Gòn Giải Phóng. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ Dang Khoa (15 January 2019). "Vietnam, S. Korea to clash in first AFF-EAFF Champions Trophy". VnExpress. Retrieved 31 January 2019.