Malaysia once had one of Southeast Asia’s largest and most passionate fan bases. The Ultras Malaysia group alone reportedly had 80,000 members. In 2018, when the tournament was known as the AFF Cup, more than 3,000 Malaysian fans traveled to Vietnam for the second leg of the final at My Dinh Stadium. Hundreds also staged a parade through Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
This year, however, Malaysia are expected to request fewer than 100 tickets for their supporters.
The decline in support has largely been attributed to Malaysian fans’ reaction to a controversy over the national team’s use of naturalized players, which put the team under FIFA sanctions and cost them a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup.
During the first leg of the semifinal last week, Kuala Lumpur’s 18,000-seat stadium had a significant number of empty seats.