Malaysia leads league representation at 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup

The inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup gets underway on September 24 and runs until October 5, bringing together 14 national teams for a new regional competition involving Southeast Asia and three guest national teams.

Eight teams will compete in Division 1 in Indonesia, while six more will contest Division 2 in Hong Kong.

 

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The 14 23-man squads feature players based in leagues across more than 30 countries, but Southeast Asia’s domestic competitions account for much of the player pool.

Malaysia leads the way, with clubs in the country providing 38 players across the tournament.

Of those, 20 will represent Malaysia, while another 18 will line up for other national teams, highlighting the significant number of internationals from around the region playing their club football in Malaysia.

 

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Thailand is second with 25 players, comprising 20 Thai internationals and five representing other national teams.

Cambodia and Vietnam follow with 24 players each. Both leagues supply the entire 23-man squads of their respective national teams, plus one player representing another side.

Singapore and Myanmar also have strong domestic representation, with their leagues supplying 21 and 20 players respectively, all of whom represent their own national teams.

Indonesia sits further down the list despite hosting Division 1, with only 13 players from clubs in the country selected for the tournament and 11 of them being part of the Garuda squad.

 

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At the opposite end of the regional picture is the Philippines, whose domestic league contributes just one player to the entire tournament, One Taguig FC defender Daisuke Sato.

Outside the participating nations and territories, China provides the most players with eight, followed by Australia with six and the Netherlands with five.

A further 11 players had been without a club when the final squads were announced.

League Total Players Own National Team Other National Teams
Malaysia 38 20 18
Thailand 25 20 5
Cambodia 24 23 1
Vietnam 24 23 1
Singapore 21 21 0
Myanmar 20 20 0
Bangladesh 19 16 3
Laos 18 18 0
Brunei 15 15 0
Hong Kong 15 15 0
Indonesia 13 11 2
Timor-Leste 10 10 0
China 8 0 8
Pakistan 7 7 0
Australia 6 0 6
Netherlands 5 0 5
England 4 0 4
Germany 4 0 4
USA 4 0 4
Bhutan 3 0 3
Japan 3 0 3
Portugal 3 0 3
Sweden 3 0 3
Azerbaijan 2 0 2
Croatia 2 0 2
Denmark 2 0 2
Norway 2 0 2
Spain 2 0 2
Philippines 1 1 0
Belgium 1 0 1
Cyprus 1 0 1
France 1 0 1
Italy 1 0 1
Maldives 1 0 1
Malta 1 0 1
Northern Ireland 1 0 1
United Arab Emirates 1 0 1
No Club 11 — —