KUALA LUMPUR: Eight teams who did not make the cut for the prestigious Malaysia Cup competition will have the chance to play for the 2018 Challenge Trophy.
The Challenge Trophy which will be held for the very first time will take place simultaneously with the Malaysia Cup competition and therefore provide an exciting and competitive platform for the eight teams once league action ends.
According to a statement released by the Malaysia Football League (MFL), the eight teams who will qualify for the Challenge Trophy is the bottom team from the Super League while the rest of the teams will be from the Premier League who finished from sixth place to eleventh.
Following the dropping of Kuantan FA from the league roster this season, there will be an invitation that will be extended to another team to fill the void to complete the eight team line-up for the Challenge Trophy.
The teams will be divided into two groups with a total of 29 matches to be played throughout the duration of the competition.
For the inaugural Challenge Trophy, the same rules will apply, similar to that of the FA Cup competition where foreign players are concerned.
Therefore, only four out of five foreign imports will be allowed to feature for the Super League team that takes part, to be fair to the other teams from the Premier League who will be competing.
The first group match of the competition will take place on August 7 and 8, while the final group matches are scheduled to take place on September 18 and 19.
Four teams who qualify for the semi-finals will play on October 2 and 3, with the final expected to be played at a neutral venue on October 13.