Malaysia did not receive a 0-3 forfeit loss, the Vietnamese national team must wait for the AFC.

The ruling from CAS has just been announced, but the story of the Malaysian national team is not yet concluded.

After months of dispute, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has announced a ruling related to the naturalization scandal in Malaysian football. The body reviewed the appeal against a prior penalty imposed by FIFA on seven players found to have used invalid naturalization and eligibility documents.

According to the official announcement, CAS rejected the appeal from the Football Association of Malaysia but partially accepted the appeal from the players. The body confirmed that violations were established, stating: "partially accepted the appeal of the seven players against FIFA, concerning penalties for falsifying naturalization and eligibility documents."

However, the CAS ruling does not address forfeiting Malaysia's matches. The reason lies in the timing of the appeal. The Football Association of Malaysia filed its appeal to CAS on December 8, 2025, when FIFA had only issued two initial penalties: fines and suspensions for the seven players involved in the naturalization case.

It was not until late December 2025 that FIFA issued a supplementary decision, ordering forfeits for three of Malaysia's international friendlies against Cape Verde, Singapore, and Palestine. However, Malaysia did not subsequently appeal this decision to CAS. Therefore, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has no jurisdiction to consider matters related to match results.

CAS only has the authority to rule on the specific issues raised in the appeal. In this case, the Lausanne-based organization focused on the penalties imposed on the federation and the players. The final ruling also clarified: "The CAS panel determined that the seven players will serve a 12-month ban, but it applies only to official matches, rather than a blanket ban on all football-related activities."

Simultaneously, the appeal effort by the Football Association of Malaysia did not yield a positive outcome. CAS affirmed: "Meanwhile, the joint appeal by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was DISMISSED, meaning the fine of 350,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) imposed by FIFA on FAM remains in effect."

Following this ruling, many regional football outlets suggest that the legal basis for handling matches in the qualifying round has been established. The decision-making authority now lies with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body directly overseeing the 2027 Asian Cup qualification.

If the AFC determines that Malaysia fielded ineligible players, the team could face forfeits in its matches against Vietnam and Nepal. Such a scenario would cause Malaysia to lose 6 points, providing a significant advantage for Vietnam in the race to secure a spot in the final round.

In the past, the AFC has set strong precedents in similar cases, notably the penalty imposed on the Timor-Leste national team for using improperly naturalized players. Therefore, regional experts are awaiting the final decision from the AFC, a factor that could completely reshape the group standings.