Kuala lumpur: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today announced a 23-man Harimau Malaya squad for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, which will take place in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia, from September 25 to October 5.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has retained five players from the previous ASEAN Cup squad, including Azri Ghani, Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili, Sergio Aguero, G. Pavithran, and Faris Danish Asrul. Several key players have been called up to strengthen the national squad for the tournament, with the squad set to report for a centralised training camp starting on Monday.
The Harimau Malaya squad will depart for Jakarta on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, to compete in Division 1 of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. Group A will feature Malaysia alongside hosts Indonesia, Singapore, and Bangladesh, while Group B will include Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan, as stated by FAM in their announcement.
Malaysia, ranked 136th globally, will kick off their campaign against 181st-ranked Bangladesh at Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, on September 25. The national team will then face Indonesia, ranked 118th, at the same venue on September 28 before wrapping up their Group A matches against Singapore at Stadium Si Jalak Harupat, Bandung, on October 1.
The tournament format dictates that the winners of Group A and Group B will face each other in the final at Gelora Bung Karno on the evening of October 5, while the runners-up from each group will contest for third place at the same venue earlier that day.
The list of 23 players called up for the Harimau Malaya centralised training camp includes goalkeepers Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, Haziq Nadzli, and Azri Ghani; defenders Dion Cools, Daniel Ting, Brad Tapp, La'Vere Corbin-Ong, Syahmi Safari, Faris Danish Asrul, Quentin Cheng, and Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili; midfielders Stuart Wilkin, Nathaniel Shio Hong Wan, Manuel Hidalgo, Nooa Laine, Nazmi Faiz Mansor, and Sergio Aguero; and forwards Arif Aiman Hanapi, Bergson da Silva, Faisal Halim, Romel Morales, Pavithran Gunalan, and Fergus Tierney.