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Football is the most popular national sport in Malaysia, where the first modern set of rules were established in 1921. It is run by the Football Association of Malaysia. The association administers the national football teams and league competitions.

In 1997, Malaysia hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but known as FIFA World Youth Championship during that time. In 2007, Malaysia co-hosted the Asian Cup 2007 with three other countries.

The most significant successes of the national team of Malaysia has come in the regional AFF Suzuki Cup (formerly known as the Tiger Cup), which Malaysia won in 2010 for the first time in history. They beat Indonesia 4–2 on aggregate in the final to capture the country's first major international football title.

Malaysia had many top players, such as the legendary Mokhtar Dahari and Sabah's Hassan Sani and James Wong, which led Malaysia into their golden age during the 1970s until the 1980s. Before Mokhtar, the Malaysian King of Football Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat was the most famous and respected footballer in the whole Malaya during the 1950s and 1960s. Malaysia's 15–1 victory over the Philippines in 1962 is currently the highest win of the national team.

In the FIFA World Rankings, Malaysia's highest standing was in the first release of the figures, in August 1993 at 75th. Malaysia's main rival on the international stage are their geographical neighbors, Indonesia and Singapore, and past matches between these two teams have produced much drama. Malaysia is one of the most successful teams in Southeast Asia along with Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, winning the ASEAN Football Championship in 2010.

History

1900 to 1978

Football arrived in Malaysia, (Malaya at that time), with the British. The locals soon picked up the game, and soon it was the country's leading sport. Towards the end of the 19th century, football was one of the central pillars of most sports clubs in Malaya. Even when the Selangor Amateur Football League took shape in 1905 – which ensured proper administration and organization – the competition was confined only to clubs in Kuala Lumpur.

The earliest known winners of football competition in Malaysia was YMCA in Penang in 1906.

In January 1921, the British Royal Navy battleship H. M. S. Malaya was called at Port Swettenham (now Port Klang), Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Port Dickson. During its stay, the crew competed in friendly matches in football, rugby, hockey, sailing and golf against local clubs.

Three months later, the Chief Secretary of the Federated Malay States received a letter from Captain H. T. Buller of the H. M. S. Malaya, which offered two cups to be competed for in football and rugby as tokens of their gratitude for the reception they received in Malaya. The cup for football were then known as the Malaya Cup The offer was accepted and various club representatives met to organize the tournament. Malaya Cup committee was set up and it was decided to run the football competition in northern and southern sections. The first tournament were entrusted to be run by the Selangor Club. The first ever Malaya Cup match was played on 20 August 1921, with Selangor defeating Penang 5–1 in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000 in Kuala Lumpur. The inaugural tournament were played by six teams and won by Singapore. During 1923, a newspaper described it as “by far the greatest sporting event of the year (in Malaya)”.

In 1933, Football Association of Malaya (FAM) was founded. By 1954, FAM joins FIFA as a member in AFC.

The Malaysia FAM Cup was established in 1952 as a secondary knockout competition to the more prestigious Malaya Cup. The competitions were held between the state teams, including Singapore, the Police, Army and the Prisons Department of Malaysia, in their early days.

In 1959, the Malaya Cup departed from the traditional one-round tournament to a two-round home and away format in three zones (East, South, and North).

FAM changed its name to Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in the early 1960s to coincide with the formation of Malaysia. A new trophy for the Malaya Cup was inaugurated in 1967, and since then, the competition has been known as the Malaysia Cup.

Starting in 1974, the state teams were barred from entering the FAM Cup, and only the club sides could enter. In 1976 Penang was the first club from Malaysia which won the Aga Khan Gold Cup.

1979–1988: Era of Amateur Football League

A Malaysian football league competition involving the representatives of the state football associations was first held in 1979. When it began, it was intended primarily as a qualifying tournament for the final knock-out stages of the Malaysia Cup, where teams compete in a one-round league before advancing to the knock-out stage. The top four teams at the end of the league would face off in two semi-finals before the winners made it to the finals. In 1981, the quarter-final stage was introduced, where eight teams qualified from the preliminary stage.

However, it was not until 1982 that a league trophy was introduced to recognise the winners of the preliminary stage as the league champions. Since then, the Malaysia Cup has been held after the conclusion of the league each year, with only the best-performing teams in the league qualifying.

1989–1993: Era of semi-pro football League

Over the years, the league competition has gained important stature in its own right. From 1982 until 1988, the league continued its purpose as a qualifying round for Malaysia Cup. In 1989, it was changed to a new format, the Malaysian Semi-Pro Football League (MSPFL), nearing fully professional status.

Initially, the only teams allowed to participate in the league were the state FA's sides, teams representing the Armed Forces and the Police, and teams representing the neighboring countries of Singapore and Brunei (though the Football Association of Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season following a dispute with the FAM).

The inaugural season of the MSPFL consisted of nine teams in First Division I and eight teams in Second Division. The Malaysian Police joined Division II in 1990. Games were played on a home and away basis for about four months, roughly between the end of April or early May and the end of August or early September. Under the new format, only the top six teams in Division I and the Division II champions and runners-up would be involved in the Malaysia Cup. The Malaysia Cup was played in the quarter-final stage, scheduled for November after the league was finished.

In 1990, a new national knockout competition was introduced by the FAM, called the Malaysia FA Cup. Perak is the winner of the inaugural season of the cup.

In 1992, FAM created another amateur league for local clubs, the Liga Nasional. The league was managed by an outside FAM entity, Super Club Sdn. Bhd. Some of the clubs that competed in the league were Hong Chin, Muar FA, PKNK Kedah, DBKL, PKNS, BSN, LPN, BBMB, Proton, PPC and PKENJ. Unfortunately, the league only ran for one season before folding. Some of the clubs then evolved and joined the main league, such as PKENJ, which became Johor FC.

In 1993, the format of the competition was changed to include a two-group league, followed by the traditional knockout format. Promotion to the professional Malaysian League was introduced for the first time in 1997. Johor FC and NS Chempaka FC were the first two sides to be promoted that year.

1994 to 1997: Era of professional football

MSPFL was the nation's top-tier league until the formation of the Malaysia Premier League (1994–97) in 1994 by the FAM.

In its inaugural season, 16 teams competed in the league. The teams were based in all states in Malaysia and two foreign teams; Singapore and Brunei.

1998 to 2003: Clubs inclusion in main league

In 1998, the Malaysia Premier League was divided into two divisions, consisting of Malaysia Premier League 1 and Malaysia Premier League 2 (Liga Perdana 1 and Liga Perdana 2).

During 1998, Malaysia Premier League 1 consisted of 12 teams, while Malaysia Premier League 2 had 8 teams. 10 teams that previously played in the 1997 Malaysia Premier League were automatically qualified for the Malaysia Premier League 1. The other two spots were filled by a playoff round of the five lowest teams and the Malaysian Olympic football team. They were then put into the Malaysia Premier League 2 alongside Police, Malaysia Military, Negeri Sembilan Chempaka F.C., and PKN Johor. At this time, the league still consisted of semi-pro teams, where each team was allowed to register 25 players (minimum of 12 professionals for MPL 1 and 6 professionals for MPL 2).

2004 to present: Era of Malaysia Super League

Both leagues continued until 2003, when the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) decided to privatize the league and the Malaysia Super League was formed. Teams in Malaysia Premier League 1 and Malaysia Premier League 2 were then put through a qualification and play-off process to be promoted into the Malaysia Super League. Teams that failed the qualification were put into a new second-tier Malaysia Premier League.

Starting in 2016, the Football Malaysia LLP (FMLLP), which is now known as the Malaysian Football League (MFL), took over all the top-tier professional football competitions. Under the new management, all clubs in the Malaysian league enjoyed their first ever season in 2021 as private football clubs. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has been pushing its member clubs towards privatization in a bid to end their reliance on state funds.

Further changes were made to the Malaysia FAM Cup in 2008, where the knockout stages were abolished and the double round-robin format was introduced. The tournament became known as the Malaysia FAM League. In 2018, a new subsidiary of the company was formed known as the Amateur Football League (AFL), which was tasked with managing the third division and below from 2019 onward. The AFL officially confirmed the formation of the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League as the third and fourth divisions of the Malaysian football league system as amateur league competitions.

Records

Below are the record of teams in Malaysian football competitions since 1921 till present. Clubs in bold compete in Liga Super Malaysia as of the 2023 season; clubs in italic no longer exist.

Team	(First Division) Liga Malaysia (1982-1988), Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1, Liga Perdana (1994-1997), Liga Perdana 1, Liga Super Malaysia	(Second Division) Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 2, Liga Perdana 2, Liga Premier	(Third Division) Malaysia M3 League	(Fourth Division) Malaysia M4 League	Malaysia FA Cup	Malaysia Cup	Malaysia Challenge Cup	Malaysia Charity Shield	MFL Cup	Malaysia President Cup	Piala Belia	Malaysia FAM Cup	Liga Bolasepak Rakyat	AFC Champions League	AFC AFC Cup/Asian Cup Winner's Cup	Total
Selangor	6	2	-	-	5	33	-	8	-	5	4	7	-	1 (Runners-up) 1967	1 (Quarter Final) 2006	70
Singapore	2	-	-	-	-	24	-	1	-	1	-	2	-	-	-	30
Johor Darul Ta’zim	10	-	-	-	4	4	-	9	-	2	-	-	-	1 (Round of 16) 2022	1 (Champions) 2015	30
Kedah	3	4	-	-	5	5	-	3	-	3	1	-	-	1 (1st Round) 1994-95	1 (Quarter Final) 2008	24
Kelantan	2	1	-	-	2	2	-	1	-	7	2	3	-	-	1 (Quarter Final) 2012	20
Perak	2	-	-	-	2	8	-	3	-	3	1	-	-	2 (Group Stage) 1969, 1971	2 (Quarter Final) 2004 2008	19
Penang	3	1	-	-	1	4	-	1	-	1	-	5	-	-	-	17
Kuala Lumpur	2	1	-	-	3	4	-	3	-	3	-	-	-	2 (Group Stage) 1987, 1989-90	1 (Runners-Up) 2022	16
Pahang	5	-	-	-	3	4	-	3	-	-	-	-	-	1 (Semi Final Group Round) 1988-89	1 (Quarter Final) 2015	15
Negeri Sembilan	1	2	-	-	2	3	-	1	-	2	-	-	-	-	2 (Group Stage) 2004 2007	11
Terengganu	-	2	-	-	2	1	-	1	-	3	1	1	-	-	1 (Round of 16) 2012	11
Johor FA	1	1	-	-	1	2	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	7
Perlis	1	1	-	-	-	2	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	1(Group Stage) 2006	6
PKNS	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3	-	-	-	6
Sarawak	1	1	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	1 (Quarter Final) 1998-99	5
Armed Forces	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	4
DBKL S.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	4
Sabah	1	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1 (2nd Round) 1995	4
Johor F.C.	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2	-	1 (2nd Round) 1996-97	1 (Group Stage) 2009	4
MPPJ	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
Melaka United	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	1 (1st Preliminary Round) 1985-86	-	4
Penjara F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	3
Kuantan	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	3
PDRM	-	2	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
LionsXII	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2
JKR F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	2
PKNK F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	2
SPPP F.C	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	2
Melaka TM F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1 (1st Round) 1997-98	2
Sime Darby F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	2
Johor Darul Ta’zim FC II	-	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2
Felda United	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1 (Group Stage) 2017	2
Terengganu II F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	2
Brunei	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Intel F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
NS Indians FC	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
UMNO Selangor F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Kelab Sukan Adabi	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Kelab Kilat Kota Bahru	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Darul Makmur F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Kelab Sultan Sulaiman	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Johor Bahru FA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
KL Cheq Point F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
PDC F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
JPS F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Suria NTFA F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Pasir Gudang United	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Proton F.C.;	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
T-Team F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Pos Malaysia F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
NS Betaria F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Putrajaya SPA F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Gua Musang FA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1
Kuching FA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1
MIFA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Terengganu City F.C.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Kelantan Darul Naim	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
PIB F.C.	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Immigration FC	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
UiTM United	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Guar Syed Alwi	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1

• Table shows teams' wins in all competitions
• The figures in bold represent the most times this competition has been won by the team
• Malaysia Super League Record Fastest goal in a match: 9 seconds
  • Rafael Vitor for Penang against Perak (3 August 2021)

Hall of fame

League

Cups

Three major professional-era competitions (1994–present)

Great honours

Quadruple

Treble

Double

See also

• Malaysia M3 League
• Malaysia M4 League
• Malaysia M5 League
• FAM Football Awards

References

1. John Duerden (7 July 2012). "Malaysia: A new hope". ESPN.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
2. "Malaysia hopes to relive football glory days by training 10,000 teenagers". Bernama. The Edge. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
3. Ooi Kin Fai (4 October 2013). "The biggest change in Malaysian football". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
4. Simon Ingka Crown; Jeremy Veno (30 July 2010). "Football development: A tough job". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
5. Jeeva Arulampalam (21 October 2009). "Malaysian soccer clubs need right structures to attract funding". Business Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
6. Shebby Singh (15 November 2013). "A much-needed intervention for the good of Malaysian football". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
7. T. Avineshwaran (21 September 2013). "Future of our football". The Star. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
8. ^ "History". Football Association of Malaysia. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
9. "History of Singapore Football". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
10. "Malaysia - List of Regional Champions and Cup Winners [Penang FA]". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
11. ^ Alvin Chua (2015). "Malaysia Cup (football)". National Library Board. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
12. "Malaysia 1921". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
13. "Association Information [Football Association of Malaysia]". FIFA. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
14. Karel Stokkermans (11 January 2018). "Malaysia 1952". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
15. ^ Atsushi Fujioka; Erik Garin; Mikael Jönsson; Hans Schöggl (11 January 2018). "FA Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
16. Karel Stokkermans (18 January 2018). "Malaysia 1959". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
17. "Malaysia 1967". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
18. ^ "Malaysia 1979". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
19. Peter Wilson; Benson Sim (28 July 2006). "The demand for Semi-Pro League football in Malaysia 1989–91: a panel data approach". Applied Economics. 27: 131–138. doi:10.1080/00036849500000015.
20. "Malaysia 1981". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
21. "Malaysia 1982". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
22. ^ Ian King (28 September 2003). "Malaysia 1989". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
23. "Amanat Tengku Abdullah" (in Malay). Liga Bolasepak Rakyat. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
24. ^ "Pemain Malaysia bebas ke Brunei". Bernama (in Malay). Utusan Malaysia. 11 January 1998. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
25. Zainu'l Azhar Ash'ari (13 June 1998). "Demam Piala Dunia rasuk Liga Perdana". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
26. "When will Malaysia's football teams go private? | ASEAN Today". www.aseantoday.com. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
27. Hamdan Saaid (18 July 2003). "Malaysia 2007/08". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
28. "14 amateur leagues confirmed as part of inaugural Malaysian tier five season". Goal.com. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
29. Karel Stokkermans (10 August 2017). "Malaysia - List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
30. Karel Stokkermans (15 September 2016). "Malaysia - List of Second Level Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2018.

External links

• Football Association of Malaysia

v t e Football in Malaysia
History
National teams	Current Men's (results) Men's U-23 (results) Men's U-22 (results) Men's U-19 (results) Men's U-16 Women's XI Futsal (women's) Beach Football (women's) Former Harimau Muda (U-22) Harimau Muda A (U-22) Harimau Muda B (U-21) Harimau Muda C (U-19)
League competitions	Main league Malaysia Super League (Level 1) Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League (Level 2) Malaysia A2 Amateur League (Level 3) Malaysia A3 Community League (Level 4–9) Malaysia National Women's League (women's) Development League MFL Cup (U-23) Piala Presiden (U-21) Piala Belia (U-19) Others Malaysia Premier Futsal League (Men) Malaysia Premier Futsal League (Women) Defunct Malaysian League (Liga Malaysia (1982–1988) (Amateur), Liga Semi-Pro (Divisyen 1 & Divisyen 2), Liga Perdana, Liga Perdana 1 & Liga Perdana 2) Malaysia Premier League Liga Nasional (Amateur) Liga Bolasepak Rakyat
Cup competitions	Current Malaysia Cup Malaysia FA Cup Malaysia Challenge Cup Piala Sumbangsih Piala Emas Raja-Raja Merdeka Tournament Piala Tun Sharifah Rodziah (Women's) Piala Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi Malaysia Futsal Cup Defunct Burnley Cup Borneo Cup Malaysia FAM Cup
Related	1994 Malaysian football scandal
Seasons 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Football Association of Malaysia Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia List of clubs List of venues List of Malaysian footballers Naturalised and overseas footballers

• History of football in Malaysia