The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) is set to announce changes to the format of the AFF Suzuki Cup from 2018.
The tournament will be expanded to include 10 nations from its current eight, with the countries ranked 10th and 11th have to face each other in a playoff for a spot in the main competition.
According to the AFF meeting in Indonesia on Friday, the draw for the 2018 AFF Championships is scheduled to take place next May, with Thailand and Vietnam placed in the top pots respectively, which allows them to avoid each other in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Timor Leste (ranked 10th) and Brunei (ranked 11) have to compete in the play-off.
In the group stage, five teams in the two groups will play two home and two away games, based on the draw conducting by AFF, before the knockout stages.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals. The semifinals and final will remain two-legged, home and away.