Without doubt the first five editions of the AFF Tiger Cup were a resounding success for the regional body.
And while the initial idea might have been to just give the national teams more quality matches to compete at the Asian level, the marketability of the AFF Tiger Cup has made it one of the most highly anticipated events across ASEAN.
Some of the interesting facts at the end of the first five editions of the AFF Tiger Cup were –
Thailand were the inaugural winners
First qualifying round was introduced in 1998
Thailand won back to back titles in 2000 and 2002
First co-hosts was in 2002 – with Indonesia and Singapore
The 2004 edition was the first spillover – 7 December 2004 to 16 January 2005
Brunei did not take part in three editions – 2000, 2002 and 2004
Timor Leste made their debut in 2004
The year 2004 was also the first time a two-legged semi-finals / finals were introduced
Only two countries have won the AFF Tiger Cup in the first five editions – Thailand (1996, 2000 and 2002) and Singapore (1998 and 2004)
