Malaysia has accepted to participate in the CAFA Cup 2025, taking place from August 29 to September 8. This is a 2-year tournament organized by the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).
According to Dollah Salleh, a former Malaysian football player, currently Vice President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), the quality and depth of the current squad give Malaysia a truly surprising opportunity in this Central Asian tournament.
He said: "I would not be surprised if the Malaysian team caused a surprise. This is an opportunity to prove our true ability. We proved that we defeated the Vietnamese team. That victory should not be considered a single victory".
Malaysia, ranked 131th in the world, is in Group B with host Tajikistan (ranked 104), defending champion Iran (ranked 18) and Afghanistan (ranked 160).
Dollah believes that the current generation of Malaysian players is mentally and tactically prepared.
"The Iranian team has been one of the strongest teams I have played against, and they have maintained that level. But even then, we still had a chance against them.
If our players maintain the desire and form we saw against Vietnam, Iran is not a problem. The problem is how we play, not who we play with.
FAM leaders emphasized the 4-0 victory over Vietnam on June 10, in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers to encourage the Malaysian team. That was a match in which the Malaysian team completely dominated the opponent, thereby ending a streak of unknown wins against the Vietnamese team, which had lasted since the end of 2014.
Dollah, one of Malaysia's most successful footballers, helped the national team defeat the South Korean team 3-1 at the Merdeka Tournament in 1993.
According to him, the current Malaysia team is one of the strongest generations for a long time. The naturalization of a series of new, quality and quickly adaptive players helps the Malaysian team feel confident about a bright future.
Malaysia's participation in the CAFA Cup 2025 is also a way to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Currently, they are leading Group F with 6 points, ranked above the teams of Vietnam, Laos and Nepal.
Malaysia, under the leadership of coach Peter Cklamovski, will start its CAFA Cup 2025 campaign with a match against host Tajikistan on August 29 in Dushanbe before facing Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4.
Group A took place in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) with the participation of host Uzbekistan (ranked 57th in the world), Kyrgyzstan (ranked 103rd), Turkmenistan (ranked 142) and Oman (ranked 77).
Uzbekistan, like Iran, has qualified for the 2026 World Cup, and are the two teams that guarantee the quality of the 2025 CAFA Cup.
