Malaysia has been drawn in Group B alongside world No 18 Iran for next month’s Central Asian Football Association (Cafa) Nations Cup 2025.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that Harimau Malaya, which is ranked 131st in the world, will also face hosts Tajikistan (ranked 104th in the world) and Afghanistan (160th).
Malaysia will open their campaign against Tajikistan on Aug 29, followed by Iran on Sept 1 and Afghanistan on Sept 4, with all three matches taking place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Group A will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, featuring four other teams — hosts Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Oman.
Only the winner of each group will qualify for the final in Tashkent on Sept 8, while the runners-up will play for third place in Dushanbe on the same date.
After the tournament, Malaysia will continue their remaining 2027 Asian Cup Group F qualifiers against Laos in Vientiane on Oct 9 and Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14, before meeting Nepal in Kathmandu on Nov 18 and Vietnam away in March next year.
