KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 (Bernama) — Malaysia is currently at the bottom of the world rankings among the nine group leaders in the second round of the 2026 World Cup Asia Zone Qualification.
Harimau Malaya, coached by Kim Pangong, defeated Kyrgyzstan 4-3 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil and defeated Taiwan 1-0 in Taipei, taking the lead in Group D after two games. However, both games took place last year.
Malaysia, ranked 132nd in the world, tops the group with six points, Oman and Kyrgyzstan are second and third with three points, respectively, and Taiwan is in last place with no points.
Of the nine groups in the Asia Zone, Malaysia is the only team outside of the world top 100, leading the group with six points from the first two games.
The other group leaders are Asian Cup 2023 winners Qatar in Group A, Japan (Group B), South Korea (Group C), Iran (Group E), Iraq (Group F), Saudi Arabia (Group G), United Arab Emirates ( Group H) and Australia (Group I).
Among them, Japan ranks highest at 18th place, followed by Iran (20th), South Korea (22nd), Australia (23rd), Qatar (37th), Saudi Arabia (53rd), Iraq (59th), and United Arab Emirates. It has become a federation of countries. (69).
Prior to this, the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) uploaded an Instagram post regarding the nine countries that will lead the group stage of the 2026 World Cup Asian Zone second round qualifiers.
The 2026 World Cup Asia Regional Qualifiers will be held simultaneously with the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Malaysia will resume their 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup second round qualifiers by playing against Oman in Muscat tomorrow night (2am Friday, Malaysia time) and then hosting Oman in Bukit Jalil on March 26. .
They will then face the Kyrgyzstan national team in Bishkek on June 6, before concluding their Group D campaign with a match against Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifications to confirm their qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup, while the bottom two teams will qualify for the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifications.
— Bernama
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