PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) Cup has been scrapped for the 2025-2026 season.
There were murmurs that the Under-23 competition would be abolished, and on Monday (March 24), the MFL confirmed the decision to discontinue the tournament.
They said the decision was made after thorough discussions with the league stakeholders, consisting of 13 clubs, during a meeting on Feb 19.
With this news, it is likely that the Premier League, a division below the Super League, could make a return to the professional league setup.
The MFL Cup was first introduced in 2023 with the support of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), requiring every club to have a squad as part of the Club Licensing criteria.
"However, after two seasons, MFL discovered that clubs had incurred high expenses in terms of players’ salaries and logistical operations, amounting to RM28mil in total costs for all Super League clubs," said a statement from the league body.
Taking into account the views of all league partners, MFL believe that abolishing the MFL Cup is necessary to strengthen and stabilise the financial position of the clubs."
Although the MFL Cup will no longer be held starting next season, youth development remains a priority, with the President’s Cup (Under-20) and Youth Cup (Under-18) continuing under the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) banner.
