The seeding pots for the draw were confirmed based on the performance of the teams in the last two AFF Cup editions.
Accordingly, Pot 1 featured title holders Vietnam and 2016 winners Thailand, Malaysia joined Myanmar in Pot 2, Pot 3 included the Philippines and Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia were named for Pot 4, and Pot 5 featured Laos and the playoff winners (Timor Leste/Brunei).
As scheduled, Brunei and Timor Leste, the two lowest AFF ranked teams, will clash in the qualification playoff on December 1, 2021, for the tenth spot in the finals.
According to the newly unveiled draw results, Vietnam and Malaysia will be joined by Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos in Group B. Meanwhile, Group A is made up of Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Timor Leste/Brunei.
The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 was initially due to take place between November 31 and December 31, 2020. However, the ongoing COVID-19 situation prompted the AFF to reschedule the tournament to between April 11 and May 8, 2021, only for it to then be moved a second time, now set for December 5, 2021, to January 1, 2022.
 |
The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 is scheduled to take place between December 5, 2021 and January 1, 2022
In the group stage, ten participating teams will play in a round robin tournament to decide the top two teams from each group, who will advance to the two-legged semifinals. The hosting nation has not been confirmed by the organising committee yet. Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia have voiced their readiness to host the group-stage campaign.
The semifinals will be played on a home-and-away basis, with the first leg scheduled for December 22-23, 2021, and the return leg slated for December 25-26.
The two winners of the semifinals will battle it out in a two-legged final to determine the overall champions – with the first leg on December 29, 2021, and the second leg on January 1, 2022.
The most recent edition (2018) was won by Vietnam under their talismanic Republic of Korea head coach Park Hang-seo, for their second AFF Suzuki Cup title.
.
 |
Head coach Park Hang-seo and his Vietnamese players celebrate their AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 trophy.
The two-legged final was first played in Kuala Lumpur, with the visitors racing to a 2-0 lead before the hosts clawed their way back into the game to tie it 2-2. The second leg in Hanoi was an anti-climactic affair, with a sixth-minute goal by Nguyen Anh Duc sealing the win for Vietnam.
