HEAD coach Nafuzi Zain declared the Harimau Muda squad fully prepared for their challenging Under-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign in Thailand.
He acknowledged Malaysia faces a difficult Group F featuring hosts Thailand alongside Mongolia and Lebanon but emphasised his team’s determination to secure qualification.
“We are in a tough group because the other teams are very strong, but we came here to give everything in order to qualify for the final round,” Nafuzi stated during his pre-match press conference.
The coach expressed confidence that three late arrivals due to Super League commitments would integrate smoothly with the squad.
“They were part of the squad in the previous competition, so I don’t think there will be a problem for them to gel quickly,” he added.
Malaysia begins their campaign against Lebanon tomorrow before facing Mongolia on September sixth and hosts Thailand on September ninth.
All group matches will take place at Thammasat Stadium with only group winners and the four best runners-up advancing to next year’s finals in Saudi Arabia.
This tournament represents a redemption opportunity following Malaysia’s disappointing group stage exit from July’s U-23 ASEAN Cup.
Malaysia has previously qualified for two U-23 Asian Cup editions with their best performance being a quarter-final finish in 2018. – Bernama