KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 (Bernama) -- Several key players of the national Under-23 (U-23) squad who were previously sidelined have now been called up to strengthen the team for the U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers Group F campaign in Pathum Thani, Thailand, from Sept 3 to 9.
Head coach Nafuzi Zain had earlier surprised many by omitting defender Muhammad Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili and strikers Muhammad Aliff Izwan Yuslan and Fergus Tierney from the centralised training camp in Thailand, which began on Aug 18.
The Football Association of Malaysia, however, today confirmed that all three players are included in the final list of 23 Harimau Muda players set to face tough challenges from the hosts, Lebanon and Mongolia.
Muhammad Ubaidullah reportedly joined the team’s training sessions early last week, while Muhammad Aliff and Fergus are expected to complete the squad soon after both were named for their respective Super League teams this week.
The presence of Muhammad Ubaidullah and Muhammad Aliff, both of whom had previously been entrusted with the captain’s armband, is expected to strengthen the team’s structure in terms of experience and leadership on the pitch, while Fergus is seen as capable of adding bite to the attack.
Nafuzi’s squad will kick off their campaign against Lebanon on Sept 3, followed by Mongolia (Sept 6), before facing Thailand in the final match (Sept 9), with all games scheduled at the Thammasat Stadium.
Only the 11 group winners and the four best runners-up will qualify for the finals in Saudi Arabia next January.
The U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers are regarded as a ‘redemption’ stage for the U-23 squad after Nafuzi’s charges performed poorly in the U-23 ASEAN Cup, where they failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Malaysia qualified for the U-23 Asian Cup in 2022 (Uzbekistan) and 2024 (Qatar), with their best achievement being a quarter-final appearance in 2018 in China.
The following is the list of 23 players in Nafuzi’s squad for the U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Thailand:
| Zulhilmi Sharani | Goalkeeper |
| Syahmi Adib Haikal Mohd Shukri | Goalkeeper |
| Muhammad Haziq Aiman Mohd Esa | Goalkeeper |
| Muhamad Faris Danish Mohd Asrul | Defender |
| Moses Raj | Defender |
| Ahmad Haziq Kutty Abba | Defender |
| Muhammad Akmal Hakim Rosli | Defender |
| Muhammad Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili | Defender |
| Ahmad Aysar Hadi Mohd Shapri | Defender |
| Muhammad Shafizan Mohamad Arshad | Midfielder |
| Ziad El Basheer Norhisham | Midfielder |
| Danish Hakimi Sahaludin | Midfielder |
| Muhammad Abu Khalil | Midfielder |
| Muhammad Haykal Danish Mohd Haizon | Midfielder |
| Muhammad Aiman Yusuf Muhammad Nabil | Midfielder |
| Muhammad Alif Ahmad | Midfielder |
| Muhammad Haiqal Haqeemi Hairi | Midfielder |
| Fergus Tierney | Attacker |
| Muhammad Aliff Izwan Yuslan | Attacker |
| Muhammad Nabil Qayyum Zainuddin | Attacker |
| Muhammad Haqimi Azim Rosli | Attacker |
| Muhammad Aiman Danish Abd Aziz | Attacker |
| Muhammad Syukur Fariz Januri | Attacker |
-- BERNAMA
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