HAGL FC (white jersey) will compete for the title of Asia’s Most Popular Football Club.
 

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) selected 10 contenders from each of the continent’s regions, with two teams set to progress to the final and the winner ultimately being chosen by public poll.

"The contemporary powerhouse of a football-mad country, Hanoi FC are only 14 years old, but five V.League 1 titles, including four since 2016, underline their exceptional success as a football club, which also saw them fall just one goal short of reaching the 2019 AFC Cup Final,” says the AFC.

The latest season saw the club from the capital miss out on the V.League 1 title, finishing second to local rivals Viettel FC, after winning the domestic competition in both 2018 and 2019.

HAGL found success after winning the V.League 1 in both 2003 and 2004, making it to the group stage of the AFC Champions League as a result, although they have been unable to repeat the same level of impressive success since.

Moving into the new season, they are full of hope that the appointment of former player and legendary Thai striker Kiatisuk Senamuang as head coach will prove key for turning around the fortunes of the prestigious club.

“Second to Hanoi in our October poll aimed at finding the most popular club in Vietnam was Hoang Anh Gia Lai, who can claim to be one of the country’s best-supported teams despite minimal recent success and their base in the relatively small city of Pleiku," the AFC added.

Rounding off the list of the region’s top 10 clubs are Persija Jakarta FC, Persib FC, Persebaya Surabaya FC, and Arema FC of Indonesia, Johor Darul Ta’zim FC and Perak FA FC of Malaysia, Buriram United FC of Thailand, and Western Sydney Wanderers FC of Australia.

The poll for the ASEAN region is set to end on Dec. 25.

Previously, HAGL FC and Hanoi FC had been among the world’s most viewed clubs on YouTube during June, according to figures compiled by the website Deportes & Finanzas.

Racking up a total of 9.01 million views on YouTube, HAGL FC ranked fifth place in terms of the world’s most viewed clubs, surpassing European giants such as Manchester United and Juventus.

In a previous report released in May, HAGL FC recorded 9.20 million views, but were only ranked in 10th place. Since the start of the year. the club have retained their spot among the top 10 most watched teams on YouTube.

Furthermore, Hanoi FC were ranked 10th with 6.04 million views. In the top 10 most viewed clubs on YouTube during June, HAGL FC and Hanoi FC were the only two Asian representatives among them. VOV

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