With the 2026 ASEAN Championship soccer competition fast approaching, the titular ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) regional body for Southeast Asia has added prominent grooming brand Gillette as the latest sponsor of the national teams' event.
As the official shaving partner of the 2026 ASEAN Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup), Gillette will take up prominent branding presence around the ASEAN body’s marquee event, and promote collaborative fan engagement activities and experiences.
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As 2026 will be the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN Championship, the AFF has sought a major uplift in the number of partners supporting the competition, with Gillette the latest in a string of new deals.
This tie-up, as with the AFF’s other commercial agreements, was brokered by German agency Sportfive, which is the body’s exclusive commercial agency.
Speaking on the deal, Seamus O’Brien, Sportfive Asia’s president and chair, said: “With its decades-long history in football both on the pitch and in communities throughout the world, Gillette is a valuable addition to the Hyundai Cup 2026 family of Official Partners.
“As ASEAN’s biggest event that is the pride of Southeast Asians, the Hyundai Cup offers Gillette unparalleled reach like no other can, in this dynamic region.”
Indeed, as fixtures are conducted in a home and away format throughout the tournament, as opposed to utilizing a singular host nation, this means increased visibility for Gillette at venues across the region.
He continued: “Opportunities to further strengthen their regional dominance and brand affinity, particularly as we commemorate the Hyundai Cup’s illustrious 30-year heritage with millions of ASEAN football fans, are limitless.”
For its part, this agreement is the latest of many that Gillette boasts across the World of soccer.
Gillette’s soccer portfolio includes the elite UEFA Champions League European club competition, of which it is a licensing sponsor, and it is also the primary sponsor (and stadium naming rights partner) of US MLS franchise New England Revolution.
The 12-member AFF is made up of Australia (which does not typically compete in AFF competition), Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Of the 11 total competing ASEAN teams, 10 will contest in the 2026 ASEAN Championship, with Brunei and Timor-Leste halfway through a two-legged play-off for the right to take the final qualification slot (Timor-Leste defeated Brunei 3-0 in the first leg on June 2).
The tournament proper will begin on July 24 and run through the two-stage final on August 22 and 26.
Other sponsors secured by the AFF include automotive giant Hyundai, regional insurance conglomerate MSIG, global hotel and hospitality chain Accor, and match ball supplier Adidas.
Hyundai is the title sponsor of the ASEAN Championship, while MSIG is the title sponsor of the ASEAN Women’s Championship (the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Cup), and prominent regional e-commerce platform Shopee is the title sponsor of the ASEAN Club Championship (the ASEAN Shopee Cup).
MSIG and Shopee are both also presenting partners of the ASEAN Championship, while other sponsors include hotel chain Accor’s ALL program, airline AirAsia, Australian food label Aussie Beef, and technical sponsor Adidas.
