KUALA LUMPUR — The national women’s football team will head to Saudi Arabia to take part in a series of Tier 1 friendlies from September 18-30.
The Malayan Tigress, managed by Soleen Al-Zoubi, will play in the Women’s International Friendly Tournament organised by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
The tournament will feature five more teams namely Laos, Pakistan, Bhutan, Lebanon, and host Saudi Arabia.
The six teams have been drawn into two groups according to their world rankings.
Group A will consist of 89th-ranked Malaysia, Saudi Arabia (170), and Pakistan (157), while group B will consist of Laos (87), Lebanon (138), and Bhutan (171).
Soleen said the tournament will open up opportunities for the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to establish a strategic relationship with SAFF.
“If we look at the ranking of the teams, it can benefit the long-term plan of the national women’s football squad from a technical aspect as well as being able to play in a high-performance environment.
“In addition to that, we can also hold a player exchange programme as part of the player development initiative besides giving us the chance to prepare the girls for more international matches in the future,” she said.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals and the winners will face off in the final on September 30.
The Malayan Tigress will take on Saudi Arabia on September 18, before going against Palestine on September 21 at King Fadh Sports City Stadium, Al-Taif. — August 29, 2023