The MFL Challenge Cup (Malay: Piala Cabaran MFL), which was previously referred to as the Malaysia Challenge Cup, is a prestigious football tournament in Malaysia that is organized under the joint supervision and management of the Malaysian Football League (MFL) and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). The tournament serves as a secondary-tier cup competition, specifically designed to provide an additional platform for teams that are eliminated during the round of 16 stage of the prestigious Malaysia Cup.
 | |
| Founded | August 2018 |
|---|---|
| Region | Malaysia |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champions | PDRM (1st title) |
| Most successful team(s) | Terengganu II Johor Darul Ta'zim II (1 title each) |
| Television broadcasters | Astro Arena |
| Website | www |
 2024–25 MFL Challenge Cup | |
History
editThe tournament was created for the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League teams that did not qualify for the Malaysia Cup tournament through their league standings. The idea was mooted by the Football Malaysia in December 2017 as a solution to increase the number of competitive games.[1] Observers such as FourFourTwo Malaysia see benefits of the Challenge Cup; as another chance of silverware for the competitors, maintaining the competitive edge between the participating teams, and as a way to analyze players in their teams in preparation for the next season.[2]
The inaugural tournament was held in 2018, with eight teams divided into 2 groups of four and playing a double round-robin system of games. The winners and runners-up of each group qualify to the knockout round on a home and away basis including the final. The tournament is held concurrently with the Malaysia Cup, with Challenge Cup games mostly played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday) as opposed to Malaysia Cup games played on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).[3][4]
Competition format
editSelection of teams
editFor the 2018 edition, the team that finished last in the Malaysia Super League, and the sixth-placed to twelfth-placed teams in the Malaysia Premier League qualified for the tournament.[5] The selection of teams remained the same for 2019. From 2020 until 2023 it was not held, mostly due to COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions.[6][7] FAM announced the competition will return in 2023, featuring 8 teams who are eliminated in the last 16 of the 2023 Malaysia Cup.[8]
Knockout stage
editFrom the quarterfinals all the way to the final stage of the competition, the matches will be conducted in a two-legged format, with each team playing one match at their home venue and another match at their opponent's venue to determine the winner.
Results
editList of finals
edit| Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | UKM FC | 2–2 | Terengganu II | Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam | 1,485 | [9] |
| Terengganu II | 2–0 | UKM FC | Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, Kuala Terengganu | 3,800 | [10] | |
| Terengganu II won 4–2 on aggregate | ||||||
| 2019 | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 1–0 | UKM FC | Pasir Gudang Corporation Stadium, Pasir Gudang | 4,830 | [11] |
| UKM FC | 1–0 | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Cheras | 1,778 | [12] | |
| Aggregate 1–1, Johor Darul Ta'zim II won 6–5 on penalties | ||||||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia | |||||
| 2021 | ||||||
| 2022 | Not held | |||||
| 2023 | PDRM | 3–0 | Kuching City | Petaling Jaya Stadium, Petaling Jaya | 955 | [13] |
| Kuching City | 1–1 | PDRM | Sarawak State Stadium, Kuching | 2,000 | [14] | |
| PDRM won 4–1 on aggregate | ||||||
Performances
editPerformances by team
edit| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terengganu II | 1 | 0 | 2018 | — |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 1 | 0 | 2019 | — |
| PDRM | 1 | 0 | 2023 | — |
| UKM FC | 0 | 2 | — | 2018, 2019 |
| Kuching City | 0 | 1 | — | 2023 |
Record and statistics
editHead coaches
editList of winning head coaches
edit| Season | Winning head coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 |  Mustaffa Kamal
|
Terengganu II |
| 2019 |  Ervin Boban
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim II |
| 2023 | Yunus Alif
|
PDRM |
Players
editList of top goalscorers
edit| Season | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |  Michael Chukwubunna Ijezie
|
UKM FC | 13 |
| 2019 | Mateo Roskam
|
UKM FC | 6 |
 Milad Zanidpour
| |||
| 2023 | Uche Agba
|
PDRM | 5 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "FMLLP organise Challenge Cup remedy". Goal.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Challenge Cup a chance Premier League redemption silverware". FourFourTwo.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Malaysia Challenge Cup 2018". Goal.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Malaysia Cup slot for Challenge Cup champions in future". Stadium Astro. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Eight teams play Challenge Trophy". NST.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ Singh, Ajitpal (2020-05-05). "Save the Malaysia Cup from becoming 'painful'". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2022-09-28.
- ^ "2021 Challenge Cup cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic, says MFL CEO". 14 September 2021.
- ^ Bernama (26 January 2023). "Thrilling affair in store after vital changes to M-League calendar". www.thesundaily.my. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
- ^ "FAM - CMS". cms.fam.org.my. Retrieved 2023-12-04.