Piala Malaysia 2026: Format, Dates, Sponsor and Broadcaster
JDT beat Kuching City 2-0 in the 99th Malaysia Cup final on 23 May 2026. Here is how the competition, its sponsors and its broadcast worked, plus what is confirmed for the centenary edition in 2027.
Piala Malaysia 2026, the 99th edition (officially 2025-26), ended on 23 May 2026 at Bukit Jalil National Stadium. Johor Darul Ta'zim beat Kuching City 2-0 for their sixth title. It was a 16-team knockout carrying Unifi branding and broadcast by Astro. The 100th edition starts on 22 January 2027, and the final is on 30 May 2027.
Key facts
- The 2025-26 Malaysia Cup ran from 17 January to 23 May 2026 with 16 teams in two-legged knockout rounds and a one-off final.
- Johor Darul Ta'zim beat Kuching City 2-0 in the final on 23 May 2026 in front of 50,032 fans at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
- Final tickets were priced at RM50, RM70, RM150 and RM200, unchanged from the previous final, according to MFL.
- eCentral lists the competition as "Unifi Piala Malaysia 2025-2026", with Toyo Tires, Coca-Cola and Puma named as supporters.
- Astro was official broadcaster of Liga Malaysia 2025-2026, with 229 matches live on Arena Bola and sooka. U Mobile was official broadcast sponsor.
- The 100th Malaysia Cup begins on 22–24 January 2027. The draw is on 31 December and the final on 30 May 2027.
Which edition is "Piala Malaysia 2026"?
The Malaysian football calendar now runs across two calendar years, so the naming can be confusing. The edition played from January to May 2026 is officially the 2025-26 Malaysia Cup, the competition's 99th edition. It is the one most fans call "Piala Malaysia 2026". The Malaysian Football League (MFL) and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) organise it.
The next edition belongs to the 2026-27 season. It will be the 100th Malaysia Cup and is played from January to May 2027. This guide covers the completed 2026 tournament in full and sets out what has been confirmed for the centenary edition.
Format: how the 2025-26 Malaysia Cup worked
According to the tournament record, which cites MFL announcements, 16 teams entered at the round of 16:
- The top eight Super League clubs were seeded and qualified automatically.
- Super League clubs ranked ninth to 13th, plus three A1 Semi-Pro League clubs, entered unseeded.
- Brunei's DPMM FC took part as an invited club, the first foreign club in the competition since 2015.
- Every round up to the semi-finals was played over two legs, with seeded teams hosting the second leg of the round of 16. The final was a single match.
- Teams knocked out before the quarter-finals moved into the MFL Challenge Cup.
The draw was held on 2 January 2026. Pot A (seeded) contained Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kuching City, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur City, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, DPMM and Sabah.
2025-26 schedule
| Round | First legs | Second legs |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | 17–19 January 2026 | 22–25 January 2026 |
| Quarter-finals | 6–8 and 13 February 2026 | 14–15 and 25 February 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 3 and 5 April 2026 | 7 and 18 April 2026 |
| Final | Saturday, 23 May 2026 | Single match, Bukit Jalil National Stadium |
The road to the final and the result
The semi-finals were Kuala Lumpur City against Johor Darul Ta'zim and Selangor against Kuching City. The final's record, citing Harian Metro and Berita Harian, shows JDT beat KL City 8-1 on aggregate. Kuching City beat Selangor to reach their first Malaysia Cup final, a milestone Kosmo also highlighted.
The final was played on 23 May 2026 in front of 50,032 spectators. JDT won 2-0 with goals from M. Guilherme in the 81st minute and Arif Aiman in stoppage time, and Arif Aiman was named man of the match. It was JDT's sixth Malaysia Cup and their second in a row, after beating Sri Pahang 2-1 in the 2025 final. FAM appointed Qatari referee Mohammed Al-Shammari. JDT's Teto Martín was the tournament's top scorer with seven goals, and the competition produced 88 goals in 29 matches.
Semi-final venues
eCentral's schedule shows how the semi-finals spread matchday exposure across the Klang Valley and beyond. KL City hosted JDT at Stadium Bolasepak Kuala Lumpur in Cheras on 3 April at 8.15pm. Selangor hosted Kuching City at Stadium MBPJ on 5 April at 8.15pm. The return legs, JDT against KL City on 7 April and Kuching City against Selangor on 18 April, were listed for 9.15pm kick-offs; eCentral did not list their venues. For sponsors, the two-legged ties mean four extra live broadcast windows before the final, each with its own home crowd and regional media coverage.
Final tickets and venue
On 23 April 2026, MFL confirmed that ticket prices would stay the same as the previous final despite higher hosting costs. RTM reported that MFL chief executive Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd said the price structure "masih sama seperti sebelum ini" (remains the same as before). Each finalist sold its own allocation.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| General Admission | RM50 / RM70 |
| Premium | RM150 |
| VIP Grandstand | RM200 |
There had been speculation that the final would move. On 4 April 2026, MFL president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan confirmed that Bukit Jalil would still host it. RTM reported that Perbadanan Stadium Malaysia (PSM) had let MFL finish the competition before the stadium closed from June to September 2026 to replace the athletics track ahead of the 2027 SEA Games.
Sponsors and title partner
MFL has not published the financial terms of its competition sponsorships. The eCentral tournament guide lists Unifi, Telekom Malaysia's consumer brand, as the main sponsor, with the competition styled "Unifi Piala Malaysia 2025-2026". It names MFL, Toyo Tires, Coca-Cola and Puma as other supporters. The league's top flight carries the same branding: the 2026-27 season is listed as the "Unifi Liga Super". In the same period, RTM referred to the national stadium as "TM Stadium Nasional".
The relationship between TM and the league has a long history. SportBusiness reported an eight-year TM agreement running to 2025. Financial terms were not officially disclosed, but SportBusiness cited a Goal.com report valuing it at RM480 million. Under that deal, the competitions were branded "unifi Liga Super Malaysia" and "unifi Piala Malaysia". In March 2019, Marketing-Interactive reported that MFL had terminated the agreement, saying TM no longer wanted to keep sponsoring Liga Malaysia and that repeated attempts at talks had reached a dead end. The current Unifi naming shows the brand is back in the competition titles. The term and value of the present arrangement were not confirmed in the sources we reviewed.
| Partner | Role in 2025-26 (as reported) | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Unifi | Main sponsor / competition name | Listed by eCentral; terms not disclosed |
| Toyo Tires, Coca-Cola, Puma | Supporting partners | Listed by eCentral; terms not disclosed |
| U Mobile | Official Broadcast Sponsor (Astro coverage) | Confirmed by Astro |
Broadcaster: where to watch
Astro was the official broadcaster of the Malaysia League for 2025-26, its third straight season. In its 31 July 2025 announcement, Astro said it would show 229 matches live in HD on Arena Bola (channels 803 and 804) and the sooka streaming platform. It quoted RM99.99 a month for the Astro One Sports Pack and RM29.60 for sooka's Sports and Entertainment plan. U Mobile was named Official Broadcast Sponsor for a second year.
eCentral's guide also lists Astro GO, RTMKlik and Astro Arena's YouTube channel. Selected semi-finals were listed on TV Okey and Sukan RTM. Broadcast arrangements for the 2026-27 Malaysia Cup had not been confirmed in the sources we reviewed at the time of writing.
The 100th Malaysia Cup: 2026-27 dates
MFL's calendar for 2026-27 has already been set out. On 10 and 21 July 2026, RTM reported the key dates:
| Item | Date |
|---|---|
| Liga Super season opener (Sumbangsih, JDT vs Kuching City) | 21 August 2026 |
| FA Cup | 1 September 2026 to 16 January 2027 |
| Malaysia Cup draw | 31 December 2026 |
| Malaysia Cup opening round | 22–24 January 2027 |
| MFL Challenge Cup | February to April 2027 |
| Malaysia Cup final | Sunday, 30 May 2027 |
The centenary draw will involve the 12 Liga Super clubs and four A1 League clubs. MFL said the dates could change. Two things could affect them: the AFC club competition draws of 18 August 2026, because JDT and Kuching City play in Asia, and any further work at Bukit Jalil before the 2027 SEA Games.
Club licensing changed the field for the new season. The 2026-27 league record shows that Kelantan The Real Warriors and PDRM were removed from the league for failing to obtain a national licence, and RTM reported that MFL will only admit clubs meeting the licensing, financial and infrastructure criteria under its Financial Fair Play rules. The 12 Liga Super clubs for 2026-27 are Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kuching City, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur City, Terengganu, Star City (formerly Immigration FC), Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Sabah, DPMM, Melaka and promoted Kelantan Red Warrior.
Why the Malaysia Cup matters to sponsors
The Malaysia Cup draws big crowds, as the 50,032 at this year's final showed. For brands, the knockout format brings guaranteed peaks: a showpiece final at Bukit Jalil, live national broadcast, and four months of two-legged ties between state rivals. The 100th edition in 2027 gives partners a centenary to build campaigns around. MFL had not announced any centenary-specific sponsorship packages at the time of writing.
FAQ
Who won Piala Malaysia 2026?
Johor Darul Ta'zim won the 2025-26 Malaysia Cup, beating Kuching City 2-0 in the final at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 23 May 2026. M. Guilherme and Arif Aiman scored, and Arif Aiman was man of the match. It was JDT's sixth Malaysia Cup title and their second in a row. Kuching City were playing in their first final.
What was the Piala Malaysia 2026 format?
Sixteen teams played two-legged knockout ties from the round of 16 to the semi-finals, followed by a one-off final. The top eight Super League clubs were seeded. Clubs ranked ninth to 13th and three A1 Semi-Pro League clubs entered unseeded, and DPMM took part as an invited club. Teams knocked out before the quarter-finals moved into the MFL Challenge Cup.
Who is the Piala Malaysia title sponsor?
The eCentral tournament guide lists the 2025-26 edition as "Unifi Piala Malaysia 2025-2026", with Unifi as main sponsor and Toyo Tires, Coca-Cola and Puma as supporters. MFL has not published the value or term of the arrangement. Unifi also appears in the 2026-27 "Unifi Liga Super" name. U Mobile was Astro's official broadcast sponsor for the league.
Which channel broadcasts Piala Malaysia?
Astro was the official broadcaster of Liga Malaysia 2025-26, showing 229 matches live on Arena Bola (channels 803 and 804) and the sooka streaming platform. Guides also listed Astro GO and RTMKlik, with some semi-finals on TV Okey and Sukan RTM. The broadcaster for the 2026-27 edition had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
When does the next Piala Malaysia start?
The 100th Malaysia Cup starts with first-round matches on 22–24 January 2027, after a draw on 31 December 2026. The final is scheduled for 30 May 2027. Twelve Liga Super clubs and four A1 League clubs will take part. MFL has said dates may change because of AFC club commitments and other calendar factors.
Sources
- 2026 Malaysia Cup (Wikipedia, citing MFL and FAM)
- 2026 Malaysia Cup final (Wikipedia)
- Piala Malaysia 2026: jadual, siaran langsung (eCentral, 1 Apr 2026)
- Akhir Piala Malaysia: harga tiket JDT-Kuching City kekal (RTM, 23 Apr 2026)
- Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil kekal venue final Piala Malaysia (RTM, 4 Apr 2026)
- Final Piala Malaysia: Kuching City vs JDT (Kosmo, 23 Apr 2026)
- Liga Malaysia 2026-2027 buka tirai 21 Ogos (RTM, 21 July 2026)
- 12 kelab sah beraksi dalam Liga Super 2026-2027 (RTM, 10 July 2026)
- Astro injects fresh energy into Liga Malaysia (Astro, 31 July 2025)
- Telekom Malaysia signs record deal with local football body (SportBusiness)
- Malaysian Football League terminates sponsorship with TM (Marketing-Interactive, 18 Mar 2019)
- 2026–27 Malaysia Super League (Wikipedia)
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