KUALA LUMPUR: Fifa has recognised Malaysia as one of the five "standout teams" ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The world body put Malaysia alongside Comoros, Ecuador, Rwanda and Venezuela as "'underdogs" making early impact.
Fifa.com quoted Kim Pan Gon as saying: "If we can make it to the third round of the World Cup qualifying, that would bring a lot of joy to the Malaysian people. I want to make big strides in terms of football development."
Fifa said World No. 130 Malaysia stood out as unexpected pace-setters in Group D of the World Cup qualifiers which also has Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Taiwan.
"Malaysia boast the section's only unblemished record, after hard-fought victories over Kyrgyzstan (4-3) and Taiwan (1-0) in November."