Opponents naturalize more than half of Vietnam's squad in Asian Cup qualifiers

In a recent interview with CNN Indonesia, Tunku Ismail, president of Johor Darul Ta'zim Club, confirmed that Malaysia will have 7 more naturalized players before facing Vietnam in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Vietnam is Malaysia's biggest rival in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

According to Mr. Tunku Ismail, all 7 players are living abroad but are of Malaysian origin.

“The seven Malaysian players abroad will add quality and help the team. They are proud to wear the national team's jersey and compete in international tournaments,” Johor Darul Ta'zim Club President emphasized.

But up to now, there is still no detailed information about the 7 names about to be naturalized as Malaysian.

Previously, during FIFA Days in March 2025, Malaysia had the appearance of two naturalized stars, Hector Hevel and Gabriel Palmero.

Recently, Malaysian football has been very active in naturalizing players to increase the strength of the national team.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is determined to compete for tickets to the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

In this tournament, the “Tigers” are in Group F with Vietnam, Laos and Nepal. In which, the biggest opponent of coach Peter Cklamovski and his team is the Vietnam team.

In the qualifying round, teams will play a round-robin (home and away). The team with the best record will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/doi-thu-nhap-tich-hon-nua-doi-hinh-dau-tuyen-viet-nam-tai-vong-loai-asian-cup-192250328182906093.htm