Forward Bergson, originally from Brazil, and midfielder Manuel Hidalgo from Argentina, were naturalized after residing continuously in Malaysia for five years. Defender Brad Tapp, meanwhile, has Australian and Malaysian heritage. All three received Malaysian citizenship in September and have been confirmed by FIFA as eligible to play for the national team.

Bergson, born in 1991, is regarded as the best foreign striker in the history of the Malaysia Super League (MSL). He developed in top Brazilian academies, Internacional and Gremio, before playing for many years in the top divisions in Brazil, Portugal, and South Korea.

Brad Tapp, Manuel Hidalgo, and Bergson (from left) will join the Malaysian national team for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. Photo: MalaysiaNT.

In 2021, Bergson joined Johor Darul Tazim (JDT), Malaysia's strongest club. He has scored 196 goals in 197 matches across all competitions. In the MSL 2024-2025 season, the striker set a league record with 31 goals in 22 matches. For the 2025-2026 season, Bergson continued his prolific form, scoring 27 goals in 22 matches and 42 goals in 47 matches across all competitions.

Midfielder Manuel Hidalgo, born in 1999 in Argentina, trained as a youth player at Benfica in Portugal. In 2021, he moved to Malaysia and played for several teams, including Sri Pahang, Kedah, JDT, and Kuala Lumpur City.

Brad Tapp, born in 2001 and standing 1.83 m tall, developed through Australian football and can play as a defensive midfielder or defender. Before joining JDT in July 2026, Tapp played four seasons for Central Coast Mariners, culminating in winning the Australian championship in 2023-2024.

The 23-player squad was announced by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on the evening of 17/9. Alongside Bergson and Hidalgo, the team includes naturalized midfielder Sergio Aguero (Argentina) and forward Romel Morales (Colombia). Tapp is the ninth player of mixed heritage, following Lavere Corbin-Ong (Barbados), Daniel Ting, Stuart Wilkin (England), Dion Cools (Belgium), Quentin Cheng (Australia), Hong Wan (China), Nooa Laine (Finland), and Fergus Tierney (Finland).

Coach Tan Cheng Hoe retained five players from the ASEAN Cup 2026: goalkeeper Azri Ghani, defenders Ubaidullah Shamsul and Faris Danish, midfielder Sergio Aguero, and forward Gunalan Pavithran. JDT dominates the squad with 9 players. Four players are based abroad: Cools plays for Cerezo Osaka in Japan, Tierney for PAC Omonia 29M in Cyprus, Ting for Ratchaburi in Thailand, and Aguero for PSM Makassar in Indonesia.

Malaysia will gather from 21/9 before traveling to Indonesia one day later.

Coach Tan Cheng Hoe's team is in First Division Group A, alongside host Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Singapore. Group B features Vietnam, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines. The Second Division comprises: Group A: Hong Kong, Laos, Brunei; Group B: Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor Leste.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 will take place within the new extended FIFA Days window, effective from 2026. National team training camps in September and October will combine into a three-week period, from 21/9 to 6/10.

Teams will play a single round-robin format, with points determining standings. In each division, the top team from each group will meet in the final. In the First Division, the two second-place teams will play for third place.

Malaysia National Football Team Squad:

Goalkeepers (3): Azri Ghani, Haziq Nadzli, Syihan Hazmi

Defenders (8): Brad Tapp, Lavere Corbin-Ong, Daniel Ting, Dion Cools, Faris Danish, Quentin Cheng, Syahmi Safari, Ubaidullah Shamsul

Midfielders (6): Hong Wan, Manuel Hidalgo, Nazmi Faiz, Nooa Laine, Sergio Aguero, Stuart Wilkin

Forwards (6): Arif Aiman, Bergson, Faisal Halim, Fergus Tierney, Gunalan Pavithran, Romel Morales.