Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup title holders Buriram United FC continue their quest to retain the prestigious trophy on Wednesday as Mark Jackson’s side travels to Malaysia to face Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, with the pair reigniting their growing rivalry in the first leg of the semi-finals.
V.League 1 champions Nam Định FC will take on hosts Selangor FC of Malaysia at MBPJ Stadium in the other last-four clash as the battle for Asean club supremacy approaches its climax with the knock-out phase.
Buriram United will go into the meeting with Xisco Muñoz’s team determined to maintain their positive record against the serial Malaysia Super League champions, having been unbeaten in four previous meetings between the clubs.
The high-stakes encounter at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor pits the two teams that have scored the most goals in the group stage, with Buriram United finding the net 14 times against JDT’s 13 goals.
“We know it will be a very difficult game, and both teams want to reach the final,” said Buriram United forward Guilherme Bissoli, the team’s leading goal-scorer with four goals and the Shopee Star of the Match following the team’s 4-1 group phase win over Tampines Rovers FC. “Our focus is to perform well, play our football and do everything we can to get through.”
Buriram United, who defeated Vietnam’s Công An Hà Nội FC in last season’s inaugural Shopee CupTM final, remain on course for another significant haul of silverware, having already retained their Thai League 1 title while also advancing to the semi-finals of the Thai FA Cup later this month.
Their burgeoning rivalry with JDT is among the most eye-catching in the region, where two matches ended in goalless draws and Buriram United winning the other two matches by a single-goal margin. All their meetings were in the AFC Champions League Elite, with three of those matches occurring in the 2024/25 season.
A 0-0 draw in the league phase was followed by a 1-0 aggregate win for Buriram United in the last 16 when, after a 0-0 draw in the first leg, a solitary goal by Suphanat Mueanta in the return fixture earned the Thai side a place in the quarter-finals.
The clubs met again in the league phase of the 2025/26 edition last September, and Buriram United prevailed again, registering a 2-1 win with goals from Suphanat and Robert Žulj sealing victory.
“It would mean a lot to all of us, and to the club, it would be wonderful if we could win it again,” said Bissoli of Buriram United’s Shopee Cup title aspirations. “This is a very important international competition and a very competitive one.”
Nam Dinh and Selangor, who, along with JDT, are the first two Malaysian clubs to advance into the semi-finals, will meet for the first time in any competition after both clubs impressed in the group phase of the Shopee Cup.
The Vietnamese champions emerged from the opening round with the best record across both groups, winning four and drawing one of their five matches across a series of performances in Group B, powered by the goal-scoring exploits of Nguyễn Xuân Son.
The Brazil-born Vietnam international striker is the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals, and his potency in front of the target will be Nam Định’s greatest threat as the club attempts to follow in the footsteps of domestic rivals Công An Hà Nội and reach the final.
Nam Định has welcomed back Vũ Hồng Việt, who has replaced Mauro Jéronimo at the helm, and the Vietnamese tactician will lock horns with Selangor’s Kim Pan-gon, the coach from the Korea Republic, having inspired a renaissance at the Red Giants.
Selangor have lost just once in 18 matches in all competitions since the former Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Ulsan HD coach was appointed in January, winning 12 times to sit in second place in the Malaysia Super League standings.
“Selangor is a strong team, known for their pace and physicality,” said Nam Định forward Lâm Ti Phông, who was the Shopee Star of the Match after scoring twice in the 2-1 win over PKR Svay Rieng FC in the group stage. “I believe it will be an exciting and attacking game from both sides.”
The first leg of both semi-finals will be played on Wednesday, with the return meetings to be held on May 13. The final of the Shopee Cup will be played on a home-and-away basis on May 20 and 27.
The Semifinal (Wednesday, May 6, 2026):
Selangor FC (MAS) v Nam Dinh FC (VIE), MBPJ Stadium, Kick-off: 9pm (local time).Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (MAS) v Buriram United FC (THA), Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Kick-off: 8pm (local time)
The Leading Scorers:
7 Goals: Nguyen Xuân Son (Nam Dinh)
6 Goals: Bérgson da Silva (JDT)
5 Goals: Hide Higashikawa (Tampines Rovers FC)
4 Goals: Guilherme Bissoli (Buriram United), Faisal Halim (Selangor), Patrick (PKR Svay Rieng FC)
3 Goals: Chanathip Songkrasin (BG Pathum United FC), João Figueiredo (JDT), Alan Grafite (Công An Hà Nội FC)
