Malayan Tigress Retain Most Players For 2026 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers
KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- National head coach Joel Cornelli has retained more than 90 per cent of his existing players to face the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, scheduled to take place from June 29 to July 5.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced today in a statement that Cornelli has retained 21 of the 23 players in the Malayan Tigress squad that participated in the Tri-Nations tournament in Thimphu, Bhutan, which concluded earlier this month.
Among the players retained by the Brazilian coach are prolific striker Intan Sarah Anisah Zulgafli, experienced defender Steffi Sarge Kaur, and leading goalkeeper Nurul Azurin Mazlan.
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'The new players selected are Malayan Tigress Under-19 (U-19) goalkeeper Daliea Eliesa and striker Henrietta Justine.
'The national women's football squad will first play two Tier 1 international matches against the UAE (United Arab Emirates) on June 18 and 22 in Dubai before flying to Tajikistan to face the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Qualification campaign,' the statement said.
In the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Qualification campaign, Malaysia has been drawn in Group H to start the competition against Palestine on June 29, followed by Tajikistan (July 3) and North Korea on July 5 with all matches scheduled to be held at the Central Stadium, Dushanbe.
The eight group winners will qualify for the final round along with Australia, China, South Korea and Japan in Australia in March 2026.
The last time Malaysia qualified for the Women's Asian Cup was in 1995, when they were the hosts.
The national team's best achievement in the quadrennial tournament was third place in the 1983 edition in Thailand.
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