2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup: No Free Pass For SEA Games Gold Medallists - Head Coach

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Despite their success at last year’s Thailand SEA Games, national sepak takraw players have been reminded not to rest on their laurels, as there will be no automatic place in the squad for the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup next May.

National sepak takraw head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said a comprehensive evaluation of each player’s current performance would be conducted before a final decision is made at the Working Committee meeting scheduled for later this month.

He reminded the players that winning gold at the biennial Games did not automatically guarantee a place in the national squad for the prestigious world championship.

“So far, we have yet to finalise the list of players for the 2026 World Cup.

“I’d like to remind them that even though they were champions at the SEA Games, that doesn’t guarantee them a spot. They still need to keep improving, as the younger players being called up have strong ambitions to take over from the seniors,” he told reporters at the Thailand SEA Games National Sepak Takraw Squad Appreciation Ceremony here last night.

Ahmad Jais described the battle for places between senior and younger players as a healthy competition that could raise the standard of the national team.

At the event organised by the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Federation (PSM) in collaboration with Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), each SEA Games gold medallist, as well as the coach, was presented with an exclusive 999 commemorative gold coin.

The national squad made history in Thailand last year, securing two gold medals and three bronze medals, while also ending a 34-year drought to claim the men’s regu team title.

--BERNAMA