KUALA LUMPUR – With Malaysia officially pulling out of the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup due to logistical issues, the historic Merdeka Tournament could be put back on the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) plans for revival this year.
Although it was previously reported that FAM had no plans to bring back the tournament in 2025, the governing body is now considering hosting it in September to give head coach Peter Cklamovski more quality matches ahead of their AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in October and November.
According to sources within FAM, the governing body has committed to fulfilling Cklamovski’s request for stronger opposition, with invitations to participate in the Merdeka Tournament sent to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iraq.
For the record, these three Middle Eastern nations will compete in the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which will take place in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in October.
“Initially, there were indeed no plans to host the Merdeka Tournament because of Harimau Malaya’s participation in the CAFA Nations Cup. Since Malaysia has withdrawn, plans are underway to revive the tournament this year.
“Invitations have been sent to these three teams, and it now depends on them whether they want to join or decline. The teams are looking for warm-up matches before they kick off their World Cup qualifiers in October, which is why FAM sent the invites.
“At the same time, playing against top teams is also Cklamovski’s main objective before focusing on the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in October and November.
“If these Middle Eastern teams accept the invitations, it will raise the tournament’s standard, as they are ranked between 50 and 80 in the world. Even if they do not participate, FAM has alternative plans to invite teams ranked between 80 and 100,” said the source.
First held in 1957 to commemorate Malaysia’s independence, the Merdeka Tournament was once Asia’s premier international competition, featuring heavyweights such as South Korea, Japan, and even Argentina.
However, it has been held only sporadically in recent years. Malaysia won last year’s edition for the first time in 11 years. Before that, the national Under-23 team claimed the title in 2013 after defeating Myanmar 2-0 in the final.
If materialised, the 2025 Merdeka Tournament will provide crucial preparation ahead of Malaysia’s Asian Cup qualifying fixtures against Laos on October 9 and 14, and Nepal on November 18.
Under Cklamovski, Malaysia currently tops Group F with six points in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, ahead of Vietnam and Laos (three points each), while Nepal remains bottom with none.
The team began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Nepal in March, followed by a dominant victory over Vietnam. - July 18, 2025.
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