KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia will go into the match with high confidence when they face Nepal in the fifth match of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, here on November 18.

The development was announced via a post on Malaysia NT, the official Facebook page of Harimau Malaya, today.

The national team, led by Peter Cklamovski, is currently leading the group with a perfect record after winning all four of their previous matches, including crushing nearest challengers Vietnam 4-0 here last June.

Malaysia also beat Nepal 2-0 in the first match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri in Johor, last March.

Cklamovski’s men will close the group stage with a return match against Vietnam away in March next year, which is expected to be one of the closing matches of the tournament.

Malaysia remains at the top of the group with 12 points, Vietnam in second place (9 points), followed by Laos in third (3 points) and Nepal at the bottom with no points.

Only the group winners will qualify for the finals in Saudi Arabia which are scheduled to take place in January 2027.

For the record, previously local media reported that the competition venue in Nepal did not receive approval from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the match on November 18.

Meanwhile, in a separate post, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) expressed its continued commitment to strengthening strategic relationships with international sports brands which are also the official sponsors of the Harimau Malaya squad’s clothing.

FAM acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said the good relationship between FAM and Puma would continue to be strengthened through long-term planning that would benefit the national team, supporters and the country’s football ecosystem.