Jakarta:Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on Malaysians to give their full support to the Harimau Malaya squad as they compete in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, which will be held in Indonesia from September 25 to October 5.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar expressed hope that the national team will succeed in the tournament. He mentioned that Harimau Malaya will begin their campaign against Bangladesh this Friday, followed by matches against neighboring countries Indonesia and Singapore.

Recalling the announcement of the tournament, Anwar noted that it was made during the 47th ASEAN Summit in the federal capital last year. He witnessed the signing of a collaboration between FIFA and ASEAN, which led to the establishment of this tournament.

Malaysia, ranked 136th in the world, will open their campaign against 181st-ranked Bangladesh at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta before facing Indonesia on September 28 and Singapore on October 1.

The inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup features two groups. Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Bangladesh are in Group A, while Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Pakistan make up Group B. The group winners will meet in the final at the Gelora Bung Karno on October 5, with the runners-up contesting the third-place playoff at the same venue earlier that day.