Australia to possibly attend AFF Cup 2020
The regular World Cup team wants to accumulate more experience in the Southeast Asian Championship. The arrival of Australia will bring superior players to AFF Cup.\
Australia joined the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) in 2013. However, the country did not attend the AFF Cup because Australia was too strong compared to other countries in the region.
However, they are planning to play in this playground. The national team of kangaroos is in the transition phase and no longer holds the same power as before. Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian teams are rising strongly with two outstanding representatives, Vietnam and Thailand in the continental playground.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, this issue was raised by the Australian Football Federation (FFA) to discuss the federal level. Accordingly, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade enthusiastically supported the plan to attend the AFF Cup.
“We did not attend the AFF Cup before because we felt too strong in comparison with Southeast Asian teams. But the teams in the region are rising strongly, and the relationship with ASEAN is a condition for us to exploit this new market, ”said FFA CEO David Gallop about the possibility of attending AFF Cup.
Australia will have to promote soon to prepare for the tournament in 2020. The first problem is that they must find a way to reconcile the schedule of the AFF Cup with the A-League national championship.
The union-level dialogues between Australia and Southeast Asian countries have been conducted. The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is also very supportive of the Australian Football Federation’s idea. A number of detailed issues are being discussed, including the balance of the AFF Cup schedule with the Australian A-League.
The Australian team has been in the World Cup five times, in which they are present in all the four most recent seasons. Australia also entered the 2011 Asian Cup final, won the 2015 Asian Cup and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of 2019.