FIFA President Gianni Infantino has attended the final of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup™ in Hong Kong, China, describing it as a “spectacular occasion” as the hosts beat Cambodia 2-0 to win the trophy. Mr Infantino also visited the Hong Kong, China U-15 team, where football boots were distributed to local children as part of the FIFA Boots for All campaign, and met the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law.

“It was a spectacular occasion - the atmosphere was incredible with 31,374 passionate fans,” Mr Infantino said after the final. “Thanks again to everyone who helped FIFA put this tournament together. We will continue to bring more football to more people because our beautiful game belongs equally to everyone all across the world.”

The FIFA President thanked the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (FAHK), led by President Pui Kwan Kay, Chairman Eric Fok and Honorary President Timothy Fok, and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), led by President Major General Khiev Sameth, for “their incredible work in hosting this tournament and growing our game here for future generations”.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup™ and FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup have provided new opportunities for the 14 participating teams to play meaningful international matches and, in turn, help grow the sport across Southeast Asia.

The FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup also featured Laos, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar and Timor-Leste, with all matches played at the Kai Tak Stadium in Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. The FIFA ASEAN Cup, being played in Indonesia, concludes on Monday, 5 October 2026 when Malaysia meet Vietnam in the bronze medal match before Indonesia face Thailand in the final at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Earlier, the FIFA President visited the team which will represent Hong Kong, China in the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ to be played in Azerbaijan from 24 to 30 October 2026. FIFA Legends Pedro and Dimitar Berbatov took part in the activation as the FIFA Boots for All initiative launched in Hong Kong, China, with football boots distributed to young, local players, as part of a wider global programme which aims to ensure that more children have access to the basic equipment needed to play the game safely.

During the meeting with Rosanna Law, Mr Infantino spoke about helping people through football and the role of sport in uplifting and uniting communities. HKFA President Pui Kwan Kay, Chairman Erik Fok and General Secretary Charles Cheung also took part in the meeting.

Mr Fok said that hosting the new tournament was a “truly remarkable moment” for football in Hong Kong, China.

“Thanks to FIFA and thanks to the whole team for organising this, and we look forward to welcoming all of you again back in Hong Kong (China) and hosting more FIFA tournaments and actually developing football for the fans and for the players,” the HKFA Chairman said.

“Building up from this FIFA ASEAN (Challenge) Cup, we hope to host more tournaments, and more importantly, more training programmes, and let the boys and girls have a dream of making football a reality.”

Mr Infantino concluded: “Football is the people's sport - it belongs to everyone, everywhere in the world. These are not just words but a firm commitment that dictates our every action. We organise tournaments, such as this month's FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, fund and guide infrastructure development and capacity building projects, and undertake grassroots and other initiatives so that our game can keep making people smile and give them the pathways to achieve their dreams.”