Malaysia were eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 race after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee forfeited its matches against Vietnam and Nepal in the qualifiers.
The AFC meeting, chaired by Disciplinary and Ethics Committee chairman Jahangir Baglari, found that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had breached Article 56 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code by fielding ineligible players in the next two qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup.
The matches inspected were against Vietnam and Nepal, which Malaysia had won 4-0 and 2-0 respectively.
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«Accordingly, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee has decided that Malaysia lost both matches 3-0 based on Article 25.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code. In addition, FAM has also been fined US$50,000,» FAM said in a statement.
“FAM will submit a written request to obtain the reasons for the decision from the AFC Disciplinary & Ethics Committee before considering the next steps in this matter.”
According to the ruling, Vietnam would instead become the continental showpiece. It will appear in the tournament for the third time in a row, after reaching the quarter-finals in 2019.
Published on March 17, 2026
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