Selangor, El Sky News – The Malaysia Under-16 national team endured a heavy 11–0 loss to Croatia in a friendly match held during their training camp in Europe. The camp, running from late October to early November, was arranged as preparation for the upcoming 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification.
The result drew attention among Malaysian football followers, especially as the match was part of the team’s final phase of preparation before entering the qualifiers. Team officials expressed that they would review the coaching staff’s report before making further assessment of the performance.
Malaysia are scheduled to compete in Group C of the qualification round, facing Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Northern Mariana Islands and Macau. Their opening match of the tournament is set for 22 November against the Northern Mariana Islands.
The defeat has raised concerns about the team’s readiness, despite the intention of the European training stint to provide valuable match exposure and strengthen the squad ahead of the competition.
