Malaysia Remain In Group J For Under-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will remain in Group J of the qualifying rounds of the 2022 Under-23 Asian Cup after a redraw by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Wednesday. Malaysia’s Group J qualifiers against host Mongolia, Laos and Thailand will still be held from Oct 27-31. The redraw, which was conducted online, sees only one team from Group I, namely Hong Kong, being drawn into Group K with Japan and Cambodia. According to the AFC, the redraw was done following North Korea’s withdrawal from the competition. Malaysia, who will be fielding the national Under-20 squad, will be vying for one of the 15 slots in the Finals in Uzbekistan. Only the group winners and the best four second-placed teams will join the host in the Finals to be held in Tashkent next June. The Under-20 squad, under coach Brad Maloney, will begin their Group J campaign against Laos on Oct 27 before taking on Mongolia on Oct 29 and Thailand on Oct 31. -- BERNAMA