kids encyclopedia robot

Malaysia national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Malaysia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Harimau Malaya
(Malayan Tigers)
Association Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation AFF (Southeast Asia)
Head coach Peter Cklamovski
Captain Dion Cools
Most caps Soh Chin Ann (195)
Top scorer Mokhtar Dahari (89)
Home stadium Bukit Jalil National Stadium
FIFA code MAS
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 167 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 75 (8 August 1993)
Lowest 178 (15 March 2018)
Elo ranking
Current 173 Increase 10 (3 March 2019)
Highest 1 (1 March 1977)
Lowest 1 (September 2018)
First international
 Malaysia 1–1 Thailand 
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 12 October 1963)
Biggest win
 Malaysia 11–0 Philippines 
(Tehran, Iran; 7 September 1974)
Biggest defeat
 United Arab Emirates 10–0 Malaysia 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 3 September 2015)
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances 4 (first in 1976)
Best result Group stage (1976, 1980, 2007, 2023)
ASEAN Championship
Appearances 14 (first in 1996)
Best result Champions (2010)
Medal record
Asian Games
Bronze 1974 Tehran Team
SEA Games
Bronze 1969 Myanmar Team
Silver 1971 Malaysia Team
Bronze 1973 Singapore Team
Silver 1975 Thailand Team
Gold 1977 Malaysia Team
Gold 1979 Indonesia Team
Silver 1981 Philippines Team
Bronze 1983 Singapore Team
Bronze 1985 Thailand Team
Silver 1987 Indonesia Team
Gold 1989 Malaysia Team

The Malaysia national football team represents Malaysia in international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). They are officially nicknamed Harimau Malaya, which means Malayan Tigers.

The team is seen by FIFA as the successor to the Malaya national football team. Before Malaysia was formed, the Malayan team won a bronze medal at the 1962 Asian Games. The team's biggest successes include qualifying for the 1972 Summer Olympics and winning the AFF Championship in 2010.

Malaysia has exciting rivalries with nearby countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. These matches are always popular with fans. The team plays its home games at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

History

The Beginning (1963–1969)

1958 Merdeka Cup Winner, Malaya
The Malaya football team won the Merdeka Cup in 1958. The first Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman (center), is also in the picture.

Before 1963, the regions of Malaya, North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore all had their own football teams. The Malaya team was very successful, winning a bronze medal at the 1962 Asian Games.

After Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, a new national team was created. At first, it included players from both Malaya and Singapore. When Singapore became its own country in 1965, the team was made up of players only from Malaysia.

The Golden Years (1970–1980)

Malaysia v. South Korea, 1972 Summer Olympics qualification
Malaysia playing against South Korea during the 1972 Summer Olympics qualifiers.

The 1970s were a fantastic time for Malaysian football. The team qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. They even beat the United States 3–0 in the tournament!

This era had legendary players like Mokhtar Dahari, who is one of the top goal scorers in the history of international football. Another legend, Soh Chin Ann, played the most international games for any male footballer for a long time.

In 1974, the team won another bronze medal at the Asian Games. They also played in the AFC Asian Cup in 1976 and 1980. The team also qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow but did not attend due to a boycott led by the United States.

A Time of Challenges (1990–2009)

NZvMalLineup1
The Malaysian team (in yellow) playing against New Zealand in a friendly match in 2006.

After the success of the 1970s and 80s, the team went through a difficult period. In the 1990s, Malaysian football faced problems with unfair play, which affected the team's performance. For many years, the team struggled to qualify for major tournaments.

Even with different coaches, the team could not repeat its past glory. However, they did finish third in the regional Tiger Cup (now the AFF Championship) in 2004. The team's performance during the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, which Malaysia co-hosted, was disappointing, and they did not advance from the group stage.

Kings of Southeast Asia (2010)

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Malaysia
Fahmi
Malaysia
Muslim
Malaysia
Fadhli
Malaysia
Asraruddin
Malaysia
Sabre
Malaysia
Safiq
Malaysia
Amar
Malaysia
Kunanlan
Malaysia
Norshahrul
The starting team for the second leg of the 2010 AFF Championship final.

In 2010, under coach K. Rajagopal, a young Malaysian team did something amazing. They competed in the 2010 AFF Championship. After a rough start, they made it to the semi-finals and beat the defending champions, Vietnam.

In the final, they faced their rivals, Indonesia. Malaysia won the first match at home 3–0 in front of a huge crowd at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. Although they lost the second match 1-2 in Jakarta, they won 4-2 overall. For the first time ever, Malaysia were the champions of Southeast Asia!

Ups and Downs (2011–2022)

After their 2010 victory, the team had mixed results. They reached the final of the 2014 AFF Championship and the 2018 AFF Championship but finished as runners-up both times. The team struggled to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup.

There were several changes in coaches during this time. The COVID-19 pandemic also created challenges, as many key players were not available for important qualification matches for the 2022 World Cup.

A New Era (2022–Present)

In 2022, Kim Pan-gon from South Korea became the new coach and brought new energy to the team. His leadership led to a big success: Malaysia qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on merit for the first time in 42 years. This made fans very hopeful for the future.

At the 2023 Asian Cup, Malaysia was in a tough group with Jordan, Bahrain, and South Korea. Although they didn't advance, they ended the tournament with an incredible 3–3 draw against the powerful South Korean team. This match is remembered for Faisal Halim's amazing goal and a last-minute equalizer by Romel Morales.

In July 2024, Kim Pan-gon resigned for personal reasons. In December 2024, Peter Cklamovski was appointed as the new head coach, with the goal of leading the team to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Team Image

Kits

The team's home kit is famous for its yellow and black stripes, which look like the stripes of a tiger. This design is a tribute to the kits worn by the Malayan teams in the 1920s and 1970s. The away kit is usually black or white.

Over the years, the kits have been made by famous brands like Adidas, Nike, and now Puma.

Home Stadium

National Stadium Bukit Jalil 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup final
The Bukit Jalil National Stadium during the 2014 AFF Championship final.

Malaysia's main home stadium is the massive Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. It can hold over 87,000 people, making it one of the largest football stadiums in the world. The incredible atmosphere created by the fans here gives the team a big advantage.

When the Bukit Jalil stadium is not available, the team sometimes plays in other stadiums across Malaysia, like the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor or the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Terengganu.

Supporters

Ultras Malaya in Bukit Jalil Stadium, 2014 AFF Championship Final
Ultras Malaya supporters creating an exciting atmosphere with flares and banners.

The national team is supported by a passionate fan group called Ultras Malaya. They are famous for their loud, organized cheering throughout the entire match.

They wear black and yellow, bring large flags and banners, and use drums and flares to create an amazing and intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams. Their non-stop support is a huge boost for the Harimau Malaya players.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2027 Asian Cup qualification match against Vietnam in June 2025.

Caps and goals are correct as of 10 June 2025, after the match against Vietnam.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Haziq Nadzli (1998-01-06) 6 January 1998 (age 27) 4 0 Malaysia Kuching City
16 1GK Syihan Hazmi (1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 29) 31 0 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
23 1GK Sikh Izhan (2002-03-23) 23 March 2002 (age 23) 1 0 Malaysia Selangor

2 2DF Matthew Davies (captain) (1995-02-07) 7 February 1995 (age 30) 58 0 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
3 2DF Facundo Garcés (1999-09-05) 5 September 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Spain Alavés
4 2DF Gabriel Palmero (2002-01-15) 15 January 2002 (age 23) 2 0 Spain Unionistas
5 2DF Jon Irazabal (1996-11-28) 28 November 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
6 2DF Harith Haiqal (2002-06-22) 22 June 2002 (age 23) 8 1 Malaysia Selangor
18 2DF Ubaidullah Shamsul (2003-11-30) 30 November 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Malaysia Terengganu
21 2DF Dion Cools (vice-captain) (1996-06-04) 4 June 1996 (age 29) 32 5 Japan Cerezo Osaka
22 2DF La'Vere Corbin-Ong (1991-04-22) 22 April 1991 (age 34) 43 6 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim

8 3MF Stuart Wilkin (1998-03-12) 12 March 1998 (age 27) 29 6 Malaysia Sabah
10 3MF Endrick (1995-03-07) 7 March 1995 (age 30) 23 0 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
13 3MF Hector Hevel (1996-05-15) 15 May 1996 (age 29) 2 1 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
15 3MF Nooa Laine (2002-11-22) 22 November 2002 (age 22) 14 0 Malaysia Selangor
20 3MF Nazmi Faiz (1994-08-16) 16 August 1994 (age 30) 19 1 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim

7 4FW Faisal Halim (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 27) 36 15 Malaysia Selangor
9 4FW Romel Morales (1997-08-23) 23 August 1997 (age 27) 9 2 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
11 4FW Imanol Machuca (2000-01-15) 15 January 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Argentina Vélez Sarsfield
12 4FW Arif Aiman (2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 (age 23) 35 7 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
14 4FW João Figueiredo (1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 29) 1 1 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
17 4FW Paulo Josué (third captain) (1989-03-13) 13 March 1989 (age 36) 25 9 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City
19 4FW Rodrigo Holgado (1995-06-28) 28 June 1995 (age 30) 1 1 Colombia América de Cali

Recent call-ups

The following footballers were part of national selection in the past twelve months, but are not part of the current call-up.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Azri Ghani (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 26) 2 0 Malaysia Negeri Sembilan v.  Vietnam, 10 June 2025 PRE
GK Kalamullah Al-Hafiz (1995-07-30) 30 July 1995 (age 30) 2 0 Malaysia Selangor v.    Nepal, 25 March 2025

DF Shahrul Saad (1993-07-08) 8 July 1993 (age 32) 60 5 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim v.  Vietnam, 10 June 2025 PRE
DF Junior Eldstål (1991-09-16) 16 September 1991 (age 33) 23 0 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim v.  Vietnam, 10 June 2025 PRE
DF Daniel Ting (1992-12-01) 1 December 1992 (age 32) 16 1 Malaysia Sabah v.  Vietnam, 10 June 2025 PRE
DF Dominic Tan (1997-03-12) 12 March 1997 (age 28) 37 0 Malaysia Sabah v.  Cape Verde, 29 May 2025 PRE
DF Khuzaimi Piee (1993-11-11) 11 November 1993 (age 31) 12 0 Malaysia Negeri Sembilan 2024 ASEAN Championship
DF Azam Azmi (2001-02-12) 12 February 2001 (age 24) 13 0 Malaysia Terengganu v.  India, 18 November 2024
DF Syahmi Safari (1998-02-05) 5 February 1998 (age 27) 26 1 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 2023 AFC Asian Cup INJ

MF Afiq Fazail (1994-09-29) 29 September 1994 (age 30) 7 0 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim v.  Vietnam, 10 June 2025 PRE
MF Syamer Kutty Abba (1997-10-01) 1 October 1997 (age 27) 42 2 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City v.  Cape Verde, 29 May 2025
MF Ezequiel Agüero (1994-04-07) 7 April 1994 (age 31) 17 3 Thailand Kanchanaburi Power 2024 ASEAN Championship
MF Brendan Gan (1988-06-03) 3 June 1988 (age 37) 37 1 Australia Sutherland Sharks v.  Chinese Taipei, 11 June 2024

FW Safawi Rasid (1997-03-05) 5 March 1997 (age 28) 68 22 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City v.  Vietnam, 10 June 2025 PRE
FW Akhyar Rashid (1999-05-01) 1 May 1999 (age 26) 56 10 Malaysia Terengganu v.    Nepal, 25 March 2025
FW Syafiq Ahmad (1995-06-28) 28 June 1995 (age 30) 43 11 Malaysia DPMM 2024 ASEAN Championship
FW Darren Lok (1990-12-14) 14 December 1990 (age 34) 38 6 Malaysia Sabah 2024 ASEAN Championship
Notes
  • INJ = Player withdrew from the current squad due to injury.
  • PRE = Preliminary or stand-by squad.
  • RET = Player has retired from national team.
  • WD = Player withdrew from the current squad due to a non-injury issue.

Player Records

These records are for players who represented Malaysia since 1963. Players in bold are still active with the team.

Most Appearances

Soh Chin Ann 2020 (cropped)
Soh Chin Ann is Malaysia's most capped player with 195 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Career
1 Soh Chin Ann 195 1969–1984
2 Shukor Salleh 172 1970–1981
3 Mokhtar Dahari 142 1972–1985
Arumugam Rengasamy 142 1973–1986
5 Zainal Abidin Hassan 129 1980–1997

Top Goalscorers

The late Mokhtar Dahari training at the field, c. 1970s
Mokhtar Dahari is Malaysia's top scorer with 89 goals.
Rank Player Goals Career
1 Mokhtar Dahari 89 1972–1985
2 Zainal Abidin Hassan Ali 50 1980–1997
3 Isa Bakar 45 1974–1981
4 Shaharuddin Abdullah 39 1967–1974
5 Dollah Salleh 33 1985–1996

Competitive Record

     Champion       Runners-up       Third place

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Chile 1962 Part of Malaya
England 1966 to Mexico 1970 Did not enter
West Germany 1974 to Qatar 2022 Did not qualify
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Did not qualify
Total 0/15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Iran 1976 Group stage 5th of 6 2 0 1 1 1 3
Kuwait 1980 Group stage 6th of 10 4 1 2 1 5 5
Singapore 1984 to China 2004 Did not qualify
Malaysia 2007 Group stage 16th of 16 3 0 0 3 1 12
Qatar 2011 to United Arab Emirates 2019 Did not qualify
Qatar 2023 Group stage 21st of 24 3 0 1 2 3 8
Total 4/18 Best: 5th 12 1 4 7 10 28

ASEAN Championship

ASEAN Championship
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Singapore 1996 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 2 1 18 4
Vietnam 1998 Group stage 6th 3 0 1 2 0 3
Thailand 2000 Third place 3rd 6 4 1 1 12 4
Indonesia Singapore 2002 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 9 5
Malaysia 2004 Third place 3rd 7 5 0 2 14 9
Singapore Thailand 2007 Semi-finals 4th 5 1 3 1 6 3
Indonesia Thailand 2008 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 5 6
Indonesia Vietnam 2010 Champions 1st 7 3 2 2 12 8
Malaysia 2012 Semi-finals 4th 5 2 1 2 7 7
Singapore Vietnam 2014 Runners-up 2nd 7 3 1 3 13 12
Myanmar Philippines 2016 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 3 4
ASEAN 2018 Runners-up 2nd 8 3 3 2 11 8
Singapore 2020 Group stage 6th 4 2 0 2 8 8
ASEAN 2022 Semi-finals 3rd 6 4 0 2 11 7
ASEAN 2024 Group stage 5th 4 1 2 1 5 5
Total 15/15 Best: 1st 79 35 17 27 134 93

Honours

Continental

  • Asian Games
    • 3 Bronze medal (1): 1974

Regional

  • ASEAN Championship
    • 1 Champions (1): 2010
    • 2 Runners-up (3): 1996, 2014, 2018
    • 3 Third place (2): 2000, 2004
  • Southeast Asian Games
    • 1 Gold medal (4): 1961, 1977, 1979, 1989
    • 2 Silver medal (4): 1971, 1975, 1981, 1987
    • 3 Bronze medal (5): 1969, 1973, 1983, 1985

Friendly Tournaments

  • Merdeka Tournament (8): 1968, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979 (shared), 1986, 1993, 2024
  • King's Cup (4): 1972, 1976 (shared), 1977 (shared), 1978

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Malasia para niños

  • Malaysia national football team results
  • Malaysia national under-23 football team
  • Malaysia national under-22 football team
  • Malaysia national under-19 football team
  • Malaysia national under-16 football team
  • Malaysia women's national football team
  • Malaysia national futsal team
  • Malaysia women's national futsal team
  • Malaysia League XI
  • Football Association of Malaysia
  • List of Malaysia footballers born outside Malaysia
kids search engine
Malaysia national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.