Malaysia vs Chinese Taipei

Malaysia and Chinese Taipei are set to lock horns in a low-profile 2026 World Cup qualifying encounter at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia couldn’t have dreamed of a better start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying cycle, winning back-to-back matches at the beginning of their Group D campaign, including a narrow 1-0 triumph at Chinese Taipei in the reverse fixture. However, the wheels have since come off, with the Malayan Tiger picking up just one point across their last three qualifiers (D1, L2), courtesy of a 1-1 draw at Kyrgyzstan in the previous round. As a result, Kim Pan-gon’s men commence the final third-stage qualifying round three points adrift of second-placed Kyrgyzstan and need a miracle to progress into the third phase. Not only do Malaysia need Oman to beat their fellow competitors in the other Group D contest, but they must also defeat Chinese Taipei by at least a five-goal margin.

No strangers to heavy defeats, Chinese Taipei have lost all five 2026 World Cup qualifiers by an aggregate score of 14-1, though just one of those losses came by a four-goal margin. While they can’t move from the bottom of Group D, the visitors could still impact the final standing, especially if they can uphold a narrowly positive three-game H2H run (W2, L1). However, they’ve conceded precisely two goals en route to losing both previous H2Hs on the road, though their most recent such showdown dates back to 2011. Playing on foreign soil can’t inspire much confidence, considering they’ve lost three of their last four away internationals (W1), conceding 3+ goals in each reversal.