Malaysia enjoys the same advantage as Vietnam in the Asian Cup qualifiers

Malaysia and Nepal are in Group F with Vietnam. This group also includes Laos.

Just a few days ago, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that the second leg of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup between Vietnam and Nepal, instead of taking place in Kathmandu (Nepal), will take place at Thong Nhat Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City).

Malaysia hưởng lợi thế giống tuyển Việt Nam tại vòng loại Asian Cup - 1 — The Malaysian team will host the Nepal team at home next November, instead of having to play away (Photo: NST).

From then on, coach Kim Sang Sik’s team will play both matches against Nepal this coming October at home. The first match will take place on October 9 at Go Dau Stadium (HCMC) and the second match will take place on October 14 at Thong Nhat Stadium (HCMC).

Recently, AFC continued to do the same for Malaysia. The team nicknamed Harimau Malaya will play the second leg against Nepal on November 18, at Bukit Jalil Stadium (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Previously, this match was also scheduled to take place in Kathmandu (Nepal).

In the first leg in March, the Malaysian team beat Nepal 2-0 at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium (Iskandar Puteri, Johor State, Malaysia). Thus, the Malaysian team will play both matches against Nepal at home, similar to the case of the Vietnamese team.

Malaysia is currently leading Group F, with 6 points after the first two matches. They are also the only team with all 10 wins after two matches in this group.

Ranked second in Group F is the Vietnam team. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team is in a chase against Malaysia.

Only the group winners in the 2027 Asian Cup third qualifying round will qualify for the finals, along with 18 other teams that have already qualified through the 2026 World Cup third qualifying round in Asia.