The Malaysian national team will host Laos at 8:00 PM on July 28th at KLFA Cheras stadium in the second match of Group B of the ASEAN Cup 2026. Besides the goal of winning all 3 points, the home team is also under pressure as they have not received the expected support from fans.
According to Malaysian media, the Ultras Malaya fan group continues to maintain a boycott campaign for the national team's matches. This campaign was launched in early May and is expected to last until the end of August, causing the number of spectators coming to the stadium to be forecast to be not high in the match against Laos.
In addition, Malaysian football also faces difficulties when up to this point, no domestic television unit has announced ownership of the broadcasting rights for ASEAN Cup 2026. While many countries in the region have completed the tournament broadcasting plan, the Malaysian market has not yet had an official announcement.
Before the match, head coach Tan Cheng Hoe affirmed that the 2-1 victory over Myanmar on the opening day does not mean that Malaysia will easily overcome Laos.
The 57-year-old coach asked his players to maintain concentration and play alertly, while emphasizing that the ability to take advantage of opportunities will play an important role.
He also assessed that Laos is a young team, full of determination and can create danger in counter-attack situations. Therefore, Malaysia needs to limit mistakes in their home field and improve finishing efficiency if they want to achieve favorable results.
According to coach Tan Cheng Hoe, the Malaysian national team is still in the process of completing its force as many young players have just been given opportunities at the national team level. He expects his students to accumulate more experience through each match, and at the same time calls on fans to continue to accompany the team.
In the opposite direction, coach Vladica Grujic of the Lao team admitted that Malaysia is one of the strong teams in Southeast Asia. However, the Serbian strategist affirmed that his students will try to create surprises away from home.
After the first round of matches, Malaysia has 3 points and is ranked second in Group B due to being behind Thailand in goal difference. Meanwhile, the Lao team has no points after losing to Thailand and is currently ranked fourth in the rankings.
