March 8, 2004
Vietnam & Malaysia have been chosen as hosts for the group stages of the Tiger Cup 2004
The biennial event, Asean's premier football event, was to have been played in Cambodia & Malaysia but the former has informed the Asean Football Federation (AFF) that the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh will not be ready for the tournament kick off on December 7.
This is the first time that Malaysia will host the event, while Vietnam will be staging the tournament for the second time.
The organisers have also decided to give as many fans across the region as possible the chance to see the action live by playing the final and semi-finals on a home & away basis in the countries of those who qualify for the knockout phase.
The tournament organisers also announced increased prize money for the fifth edition of the event, with a total of US$180,000 on offer. The winners will receive US$100,000 (up from US$80,000), while the runner-up gets US$50,000 (up from US$40,000). Prize money for the 3rd & 4th placed teams remains unchanged at US$20,000 & US$10,000 respectively.
The AFF also announced that Brunei will not be participating for a second time in a row & that Timor Leste will be invited to take part in the competition.
Thailand, who have won the tournament on 3 occasions, are the defending champions.
Tiger Cup 2004
Group Matches
- December 7-16, 2004