PETALING JAYA: After missing out on a spot in the 2026 Under-23 Asian Cup, the Malaysian football team will be out to redeem themselves at the Thailand SEA Games in December.
Harimau Muda coach Nafuzi Zain (pic) knows it won’t be easy, even though they have received a fairly balanced draw. His team will still have to contend with two-time champions Vietnam and Laos in Group B.
Laos, in particular, cannot be taken lightly as they are expected to include several players from their senior national squad who recently featured in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Only the group winners will qualify for the semi-finals, while the best runners-up will take the remaining spot.
“I’m excited about the draw for the SEA Games, as we’re in Group B with Vietnam and Laos,” said Nafuzi.
“We know it’s a tough group, especially since Vietnam are the 2024 Asean Cup champions. But that won’t stop us from giving our full commitment.’’
Malaysia endured a disappointing outing at the 2026 AFC Under-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Pathum Thani last month. Despite a convincing 7-0 win over Mongolia, it was not enough after defeats to Lebanon (0-1) and hosts Thailand (1-2) ended their campaign.
It was a similar story at the AFF Under-23 Championship in Jakarta two months earlier, where Nafuzi’s side failed to get past the group stage after finishing behind Indonesia and the Philippines.
To ensure history does not repeat itself, Nafuzi plans to assemble a stronger squad for the SEA Games. However, he will be facing challenges in securing player releases from clubs and managing a short centralised training period before the tournament.
“Our main goal is to reach the semi-finals first, and then push for a place in the final.
“We plan to begin centralised training at the end of November and hope to assemble the best players to represent the country in Chiang Mai,” he added.
The SEA Games football competition will be held from Dec 3 to 18 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
