Malaysian expert: 'A youth development roadmap is needed to reach the World Cup'

Malaysian football's long-standing ambition to secure a World Cup berth may rely less on the national team's results and more on the youth player development system.

Football expert Zulakbal Abdul Karim stated that Malaysian football must confront the reality behind its absence from the world's biggest football stage.

"We need to analyze why we haven't qualified for the World Cup. Malaysian football has existed for 100 years.

We must examine where the national team players come from. Currently, they come from the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) and the Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD); previously, they came from schools, especially state-level sports schools.

We have a limited talent pool from this process, so improvements are needed at this level."

Football development experts view the pathway from the Asian U17 level to U20, U23, and the Asian Cup as the clearest measure of long-term progress.

At the foundational level, performance in the Asian U17 reflects the strength of the youth training system. The early years are considered the most critical phase in producing elite players.

"The golden age for training is from 5 to 12 years old. We need to expand the player pool beyond the school system and select top talents to build the national U17 team," said the AFC elite instructor.

The transition to top-level football becomes clearer at the U20 level, where technical ability must be matched with physical fitness and tactical discipline.

The Asian U23 tournament then becomes the decisive stage before stepping into international football at the national team level.

Malaysia's best achievement at this level was in 2018 when the national U23 team reached the quarter-finals. However, subsequent editions have not yielded similar results.

Zulakbal believes that regular competitive play remains the key factor in developing mature players.

"A player needs to play at least 44 matches per year to reach a high level. When players play fewer matches, they lack maturity due to insufficient exposure to a strong competitive environment."

At the national team level, qualifying for the Asian Cup remains the final test before the World Cup ambition becomes realistic. Malaysia's return to this tournament in 2023 is seen as a major step. Japan remains the benchmark model for long-term development.

Following comprehensive reforms in the early 1990s and the launch of the professional J.League in 1993, the country secured its first World Cup berth in 1998 and has participated ever since.

Football development models show that building a competitive national team typically takes 12 to 15 years. Progress must be sustained across multiple development cycles before a World Cup qualification can be achieved.

Expert Zulakbal believes Malaysia can still achieve that dream if long-term reforms are implemented consistently.

"If everything is done correctly, we could secure a World Cup berth within the next 20 years," he affirmed.