All 26 players reported for centralised training at Wisma FAM on Dec 26, with no surprises from Pan-gon ahead of the prestigious tournament.

Of the 26 players selected, three are goalkeepers, nine defenders, six midfielders, and eight forwards, including the latest naturalised player, Romel Morales.

Malaysia, ranked 130th in the world, are drawn in Group E alongside Jordan (87), Bahrain (86), and two-time champions South Korea, ranked 23rd.

Harimau Malaya ended a 42-year wait to qualify on merit, and will begin the group stage against Jordan at Al Janoub Stadium on Jan 15, before facing Bahrain at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Jan 20, and South Korea at Al Janoub Stadium on Jan 25.

Only the top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the round of 16.

This marks Malaysia’s fourth appearance in the Asian Cup after qualifying on merit in 1976 in Iran, 1980 in Kuwait, and as co-hosts in 2007.

As a warm-up, Pan-gon’s team, who arrived in Doha on Jan 1, are scheduled to face Syria in an international friendly match on Jan 8.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Azri Ghani, Syihan Hazmi, Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman

Defenders: Matthew Davies, Shahrul Saad, Daniel Ting, Syahmi Safari, Dominic Tan, Junior Eldstal, Dion Cools, La’vere Lawrence Corbin-Ong, Khuzaimi Piee, Stuart Wilkin, Endrick dos Santos, Syamer Kutty Abba, Brendan Gan, Afiq Fazail, Natxo Insa

Forwards: Faisal Halim, Darren Lok, Safawi Rasid, Arif Aiman Hanapi, Mohamadou Sumareh, Paulo Josue, Akhyar Rashid, Romel Morales