2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup: Malaysia Not Taking Quadrant Event Lightly

By Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will take the quadrant event seriously at the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup next month, despite its primary focus on the regu and team regu competitions.

National head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said the quadrant contest cannot be underestimated, particularly after Malaysia were drawn in Group C alongside India, South Korea and Singapore.

He noted that both India and South Korea place strong emphasis on the format, requiring Malaysia to step up its preparations.

“The draw is very challenging. We are up against South Korea and India, and we know both teams focus heavily on the quadrant event. We also cannot underestimate Singapore, as any team can pose a threat.

“We will look at how to compete strongly with South Korea and India. Quadrant demands more than just defence and attack,” he told Bernama recently.

Ahmad Jais noted that results at the Asian Sepak Takraw Championships in Nagoya last February, which was a test event for the 2026 Asian Games, highlighted the intensity of the competition.

India won gold in the quadrants event, while Japan took silver and Malaysia had to settle for bronze.

“At the pre-Asian Games tournament, we lost to India in the group stage via tie-break. We beat South Korea the same way.

“That sends a clear signal that we must work harder and find ways to improve if we want to do better than we did in Nagoya,” he said.

The 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup will be held at Stadium Titiwangsa here, from May 16 to 23.

The format for the quadrant event, which has grown in prominence since its introduction at the 2018 Asian Games, features four players per side instead of three in the traditional regu event.

The format makes matches more dynamic and tactically complex, placing greater emphasis on defensive balance, attacking variation and team cohesion across a larger court.

-- BERNAMA