Will the rematch between Vietnam and Malaysia be canceled?

Malaysian press highlights the most severe potential outcomes for the national squad after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed FAM's appeal, which could see Malaysia ousted from the 2027 Asian Cup without contesting the replay match with Vietnam.

On the evening of March 5, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal filed by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and only partially upheld the appeal from the seven players regarding FIFA. Specifically, the sanctions imposed by FIFA on FAM and the seven naturalized players remain in effect; however, CAS permitted these players to continue participating in club activities and training during their suspension period.

Immediately after the ruling was issued, Malaysian media painted the bleakest possible picture for the country's football, particularly the fate of the "Malayan Tigers" in the 2027 Asian Cup. Stadium Astro reported that all decision-making authority now lies with the AFC, which could impose penalties on FAM, including: annulling the results of previous matches against Nepal and Vietnam, imposing additional fines on FAM, and voiding the results of domestic clubs' matches in the ACLE and ACL2...

Notably, according to Stadium Astro, in the worst-case scenario, the AFC could cancel all match results from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers and eliminate the Malaysian national team from the tournament.

"The worst-case scenario could occur if the AFC takes a firm stance, which would be to annul the Asian Cup qualifying results, leading to elimination. The overall FIFA ranking would be affected. This would generate negative perceptions from most countries," Stadium Astro wrote.

On March 31, the Malaysian national team is scheduled to visit Vietnam for the final match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Should the AFC enforce strict penalties, it is entirely possible that the match between the two teams will be canceled. In that event, the Vietnamese national team would automatically secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup finals.