How the Malayan Tigress U-17 Team Is Preparing for the Asian Cup Qualifiers

The Malayan Tigress U-17 team is officially in the middle of their qualifying campaign for the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup 2027. After months of hard training, the girls are focused on one goal: making it to the big tournament .

A new era for the team

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has brought in a fresh coaching lineup to lead the squad. New head coach Takayoshi Ishihara is heading the team, joined by a Japanese coaching crew: assistant coach and goalkeeping expert Mizuki Ito, and fitness coach Mayu Hinada. This change is all part of a plan to help our young players compete better on the international stage .

Keeping the momentum going

The current 25-player squad is looking strong. It includes 20 players who helped the team finish third at the Srikandi Merdeka Cup 2026 in Indonesia. To make the team even tougher, five new players were added during the training camp that started on 15 September 2026 .

The path to China 2027

Malaysia is playing in Group E, and the best part is that all the matches are happening right here at home at the MP Selayang Stadium in Selangor! The team has a tough road ahead as they face Syria, Iraq, and India. Only the winner of the group will secure a spot in the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup 2027 in China, where they will go up against giants like Japan, Australia, and the defending champions, Korea DPR .