The MFL Cup (Malay: Piala MFL) is the men's reserve team league for the top Malaysian football teams in the Malaysia Super League.[1] It is organized by Malaysian Football League (MFL). It was founded in 2023 and is the only reserve team league in Malaysia under Malaysian football league system.

MFL Cup
Organising bodyMalaysian Football League
FoundedMarch 2023; 1 year ago (2023-03)
CountryMalaysia
ConfederationAFC
Number of clubs15
Current championsTerengganu II (1st title)
Most championshipsTerengganu II (1 title)
Top goalscorerEbenezer Assifuah (16)
TV partnersMFL (YouTube)
Astro
Websitewww.malaysianfootballleague.com
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

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Beginnings

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The first MFL Cup took place during the 2023 season, featuring fifteen teams. These teams were divided into two groups: 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, 2023, 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 of scoring the first goal in the tournament 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 2023 final.

Competition format

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The Malaysian Football League (MFL) introduced another change involving the MFL Cup action when the 2024–25 season will feature 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 team and as one of the initiatives to strengthen the development of the under-23 group of players (U-23). "This format change is seen to provide more matches to the players and also as requested by the clubs to increase the readiness and exposure of the U-23 players before being absorbed into the Super League team at any time.

The MFL has also allowed a quota of 5 over-age players, including 3 foreign players in each team. "In order to increase the competitiveness and intensity of the MFL Cup competition, the quota of over-age players and foreign players in this competition will also be opened to be used according to the needs and strategies of each club ."A maximum of three foreign players and two over-age players on the pitch at any one time," said the MFL.[2][3]

Changes in competition format

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From To Teams Match-weeks Group format Final
2023 15 21   Yes   Yes
2024–25 Present 13 22   No   No

Teams

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Fifteen teams have played in the Malaysia Premier Futsal League from its inception in 2023, up to and including the 2024–25 season.

2024–25 season

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Overview of MFL Cup current teams
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

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Overview of MFL Cup former teams
Team First season Final season
FAM-MSN Project 2023 2023
Kelantan 2023 2023

Stadium and locations

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Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
 
Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu.
Team Location Stadium 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 40,000
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 40,000
Terengganu II Kuala Terengganu Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium 15,000

Results

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List of MFL Cup finals
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

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Team Winners Runners-up Winning seasons Runner-up seasons
Terengganu II 1 0 2023
Johor Darul Ta'zim II 0 1 2023

Awards

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Top scorers

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Season Player Team Goals
2023   Ebenezer Assifuah Kedah Darul Aman B 16

Man of the match (final)

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Season Player Team
2023   Ubaidullah Shamsul Terengganu II

Winning coaches

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Season Winning coach Team
2023   Hairuddin Omar Terengganu II

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "127 matches will be live on youtube". sukanz.com. 22 March 2023.
  2. ^ "format Piala MFL". 31 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Format baharu Piala MFL". January 31, 2024.
  4. ^ "Terengganu FC II 1–0 Johor Darul Ta'zim II". FAM - CMS. Retrieved 2023-11-12.