FIFA ASEAN Cup: Malaysia ready to storm Gelora Bung Karno
Malaysia open their FIFA ASEAN Cup Division 1 campaign against Bangladesh at 4pm today at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, according to Bernama. The match launches the inaugural edition of the tournament, which…
Source: Astro Awani · September 25, 2026 at 7:32 AM · AI-assisted report
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SINGAPORE, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 —
Malaysia open their FIFA ASEAN Cup Division 1 campaign against Bangladesh at 4pm today at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, according to Bernama. The match launches the inaugural edition of the tournament, which runs within the FIFA international calendar and offers world ranking points for every fixture.
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Indonesia face Singapore at the same venue four hours later. Bernama reported that security operations involving 5,641 police personnel have been deployed across Jakarta and West Java for the 16-day tournament, covering the stadium, team hotels, training grounds and transit routes, plus specialist units.
An opening ceremony tonight will feature Indonesian artists Agnez Mo, Isyana Sarasvati and Afgan, alongside ASEAN football legends, officiated by Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir in his capacity as PSSI chairman.
Malaysia, ranked 136th, meet a Bangladesh side ranked 181st, before a highly anticipated clash with 118th-ranked Indonesia on September 28 at the 78,000-capacity GBK. Interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe said his priority is to extract the best performance from the squad and restore supporter confidence after Malaysia reached the ASEAN Championship semi-finals last month.
Cheng Hoe has named a 23-man squad including Arif Aiman Hanapi, Dion Cools and Faisal Halim, alongside naturalised players Bergson da Silva, Manuel Hidalgo and Brad Tapp. Three late changes were forced by injuries to Faris Danish Asrul, Sergio Aguero and Romel Morales, with Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar, Muhamad Syahir Bashah and Paulo Josue called up as replacements.
After the Bangladesh and Indonesia matches, Malaysia travel to Bandung to face 148th-ranked Singapore at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium on October 1 to complete Group A. Group B comprises Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. Group winners meet in the final at GBK on October 5, while runners-up contest the third-place match earlier the same day.
The first edition of the FIFA ASEAN Cup gathers 14 national teams across two divisions, with eight in Division 1 in Indonesia and six in Division 2 in Hong Kong, running from September 24 to October 5.