PUTRAJAYA, Jan 31 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) is optimistic that the national men's hockey squad will be able to book a slot in the 2026 Men's World Cup in the Netherlands this August.
Its president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said national squad coach Sarjit Singh had prepared the Speedy Tigers squad to give a tough fight at the 2026 Men's World Cup Qualifiers in Ismailia, Egypt from March 1-7.
He said Speedy Tigers also showed determination, giving him the confidence to perform better than before.
"God willing, I have never been more confident in the coach. They work hard and indeed coach Sarjit has his own plan. They have just returned from Australia and we pray that they will give their best. I always think positively.
"Sometimes it's fate and destiny, we plan and God decides. But no matter what, I am confident that coach Sarjit and the players will give their best to qualify for the World Cup," he said after the 21st MHC Annual General Meeting at Menara Perkeso here today.
Malaysia have been drawn in Group B and will open the curtain against Austria on March 1, followed by Pakistan (March 2) before closing the final match against China (March 4) in Ismailia, Egypt.
Malaysia are ranked highest in the group at 13th in the world, followed by Pakistan (14th), Austria (21st) and China (23rd).
For the record, the last time Malaysia participated in the World Cup was in 2023 in which they finished in 13th place out of 15 teams.
Commenting on the AGM today, Subahan said the governing body planned to increase grassroots programmes, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, to unearth new talent in the states.
"There are several things proposed by the states in terms of development and we will discuss with the National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP) under the National Sports Council to try more grassroots programmes.
"This year we will also focus more on development programmes in Sabah and Sarawak because we see a lot of talent there," he said.
-- BERNAMA
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