Football fans in Singapore will be able to watch the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship for free on Mediacorp platforms.

The tournament, known this year as Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 for sponsorship reasons, will run from 20 December to 16 January.

Through a deal brokered by global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE, all 26 matches of the regional tournament will air live and on-demand on Mediacorp’s digital entertainment streaming service, meWATCH, CNA reports.

Matches featuring Singapore’s national team the Lions will be available live on free-to-air TV on Mediacorp’s Channel 5, with match highlights uploaded to Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube channel.

“The deal underlines Mediacorp’s ongoing efforts to offer exclusive football action for free to a wide national audience, as part of its continued commitment to rallying audiences behind Team Singapore athletes and supporting the local sports scene,” Mediacorp and the AFF said in a joint media release on 5 December.

The group stage kicks off on 20 December and the final will take place over two legs on 13 and 16 January.

Ten of ASEAN’s 11 member countries will take part, with only Timor Leste failing to qualify.