Gifu: The national men's hockey junior squad departed for Gifu, Japan, today to play five test matches against Japanese teams as preparation for the 2026 Men's Junior Asia Cup in Moqi, China, from Sept 4 to 13.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation announced that the team will play one match against the Japan senior team and four against the Japan Under-21 side from July 5 to 13. This series aims to expose the national juniors to high-intensity competition and assess the team's current standard.

National men's junior squad head coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin stated that nearly 80 percent of the players are new faces. He expressed hope that the series would accelerate their learning process and help them develop a more mature style of play within a short period.

The team has two months to complete all preparations to ensure Malaysia achieves its mission of qualifying for the Junior World Cup through the Junior Asia Cup. Upon returning from Japan, the national junior squad will undergo another phase of final preparations ahead of the prestigious tournament.

The coach highlighted that teams such as Bangladesh, China, Japan, and Korea are on the rise and deserve close attention due to their potential to pose a serious challenge to Malaysia's qualification mission. He expressed confidence that with the best possible preparations, the players' determination and their desire to uphold Malaysia's honor will drive the team towards the positive results they are targeting.

The Malaysian squad is scheduled to play against the Japan senior team on July 7, followed by matches against the Japan Under-21 side on July 8, 10, 11, and 12.