Kuala lumpur: The community football scene in Malaysia is set for a boost as the Piala Cahya Mata 2026 will be held concurrently across the country, offering a total prize pool of RM744,000 for non-professional players. The tournament will kick off on July 4 and run until November, building on the success of the inaugural event held in Kuching last year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cahya Mata Group managing director Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib announced the expansion of the flagship sports event to provide a platform for youth development and community engagement nationwide. He noted that the previous year's tournament saw good community engagement and emphasized the need for unity and shared experiences in society.
To maintain the tournament's integrity as a grassroots platform, organizers have strictly barred professional players from the Malaysian Football League, Football Association of Malaysia, and other major competitive leagues from participating. The tournament will feature a league format involving an estimated 11,200 players and officials. Malaysian males aged between 16 and 35 are eligible to participate, with each team allowed to register up to five players over the age of 35 for skill transfer.
Sulaiman Abdul Rahman highlighted the event's emphasis on a healthy lifestyle through a stringent drug awareness program. Players will undergo random urine tests, and a single positive result will lead to the immediate disqualification of the entire team. He emphasized the importance of discouraging drug use in communities for long-term health benefits.
Registration for the tournament is free and remains open until June 20. Interested teams are required to contact their respective state football associations, which have been allotted between 16 and 32 slots per state. State-level winners will receive RM20,000, while the overall champions at the final stage in Kuching will receive RM100,000 in prize money.
The competition structure involves state winners advancing to a knock-out stage in Kuala Lumpur, with the final four teams traveling to Kuching for the Grand Finals. Each state champion will receive a RM5,000 logistics subsidy. Additionally, Cahya Mata Group will collaborate with a team of national women's track cyclists, led by Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, to support their international endeavors. Sulaiman Abdul Rahman expressed optimism for their potential Olympic participation, highlighting the importance of support and encouragement for their success.