The MFL Cup (Malay: Piala MFL) is the reserve team football league for the Malaysia Super League members.[1] It is organized by Malaysian Football League (MFL). It was founded in 2023 and is the only reserve team league under the Malaysian football league system.
 | |
| Organising body | Malaysian Football League |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 2023 |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 15 |
| Current champions | Johor Darul Ta'zim II F.C. Terengganu II (1st title) |
| Most championships | Johor Darul Ta'zim II F.C. Terengganu II (1 title) |
| Top goalscorer | Ebenezer Assifuah (16) |
| TV partners | MFL (YouTube) Astro |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2024–25 MFL Cup | |
Terengganu II are the inaugural champions of the MFL Cup, having beaten Johor Darul Ta'zim II 1–0 in the 2023 final.
History
editBeginnings
editThe first MFL Cup took place during the 2023 season, featuring fifteen teams. These teams were divided in group A consisting of eight teams, and Group B consisting of seven teams. Each team was drawn from the Central Zone, North, South, East, Borneo, and one State team. The inaugural match of the MFL Cup was held on March 2, where Johor Darul Ta'zim II secured a 1–0 victory over Penang at the Pasir Gudang Corporation Stadium. Although Aysar Hadi was the sole goalscorer in that match, he was not the first player to score in the MFL Cup. The honor went to Harith Najwan of the FAM-MSN Project in a match against PDRM. Terengganu II ultimately won the first MFL Cup by defeating Johor Darul Ta'zim II 1–0 in the final.
Competition format
editThe Malaysian Football League (MFL) introduced another change involving the MFL Cup as the 2024–25 season featured a one-group league format, instead of the two-group format used in the 2023 MFL Cup season.
The governing body explained that the league's format change was made after receiving a request from the participants and as the initiative to strengthen the under-23 group of players.
The MFL has also allowed a quota of 5 over-age players, including 3 foreigners in each team. A maximum of three foreign players and two over-age players can play at the same time.[2][3]
| From | To | Teams | Match-weeks | Group format | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 15 | 21 |  Yes
|
Yes
| |
| 2024–25 | Present | 13 | 22 |  No
|
No
|
Teams
edit| Team | Position in 2023 | First season | Titles | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 2nd | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Kedah Darul Aman B | 8th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Kelantan Darul Naim | 15th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Kuala Lumpur City Extension | 6th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Kuching City | 12th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Negeri Sembilan | 10th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| PDRM | 5th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Perak II | 7th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Penang II | 9th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Sabah II | 11th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Selangor | 4th | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Sri Pahang | 3rd | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Terengganu II | 1st | 2023 | 1 | 2023 |
Former teams
edit| Team | First season | Final season |
|---|---|---|
| FAM-MSN Project | 2023 | 2023 |
| Kelantan | 2023 | 2023 |
Stadiums and locations
edit
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johor Darul Ta'zim II | Pasir Gudang | Pasir Gudang Corporation Stadium | 15,000 |
| Kedah Darul Aman B | Alor Setar | Darul Aman Stadium | 32,387 |
| Kelantan Darul Naim | Kota Bharu | Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium | 22,000 |
| Kuala Lumpur City Extension | Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur Stadium | 18,000 |
| Kuching City | Kuching | Sarawak State Stadium | 26,000 |
| Negeri Sembilan | Tampin | Tampin Mini Stadium | 3,000 |
| PDRM | Selayang | Selayang Stadium | 16,000 |
| Perak II | Ipoh | Perak Stadium | 42,500 |
| Penang II | George Town | City Stadium | 25,000 |
| Sabah II | Kota Kinabalu | Likas Stadium | 35,000 |
| Selangor | Shah Alam | UiTM Stadium | 10,000 |
| Sri Pahang | Temerloh | Temerloh Mini Stadium | 10,000 |
| Terengganu II | Kuala Terengganu | Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium | 15,000 |
Head coaches
editThe current head coaches in MFL Cup are:
| Head coach | Team | |
|---|---|---|
|
Juan Miguel Munoz | Johor Darul Ta'zim II |
|
Khairul Ismail | Kedah Darul Aman |
|
|
Khairan Eroza Razali | Kelantan Darul Naim |
|
|
Nidzam Adzha | Kuala Lumpur City |
|
Oleg Kuzmianok | Kuching City |
|
|
Ishak Kunju | Negeri Sembilan |
|
|
Azmi Mohamed | PDRM |
|
|
Manzoor Azwira | Penang II |
|
|
Chan Wing Hoong | Perak II |
|
|
Johnny Dominicus | Sabah |
|
|
Abdifitaah Hassan | Selangor II |
|
|
Yazeed Hamzah | Sri Pahang |
|
|
Hairuddin Omar | Terengganu II |
Winning coaches
edit| Season | Winning coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hairuddin Omar
|
Terengganu II |
Results
edit| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Terengganu II | 1–0 | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | Kuala Lumpur Stadium | 3,055 | [4] |
Performance by team
edit| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runner-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 1 | 1 | 2024–25 | 2023 |
| Terengganu II | 1 | 0 | 2023 | — |
| Selangor II | 0 | 1 | — | 2024–25 |
Awards
editTop scorers
edit| Season | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |  Ebenezer Assifuah
|
Kedah Darul Aman B | 16 |
Man of the match (final)
edit| Season | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ubaidullah Shamsul
|
Terengganu II |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "127 matches will be live on youtube". sukanz.com. 22 March 2023.
- ^ "format Piala MFL". 31 January 2023.
- ^ "Format baharu Piala MFL". January 31, 2024.
- ^ "Terengganu FC II 1–0 Johor Darul Ta'zim II". FAM - CMS. Retrieved 2023-11-12.