KUALA LUMPUR – Speedy Tigers head coach Brendon Carolan has dismissed suggestions that Malaysia have been handed a “group of death” at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, insisting the daunting draw is exactly the challenge his side must embrace if they are serious about qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Rather than fearing a pool featuring some of the world’s strongest teams, the South African coach believes the tournament offers the perfect platform for Malaysia to measure themselves against the level they must eventually reach.
“It depends on how you look at it. For us, the Asian Games (in Aichi-Nagoya from Sept 19 to Oct 4) is our main target, and we need to beat these teams if we want to become a top-eight nation in the world.
“So, it is what it is if you want to qualify for the Olympics in 2028.
“It’s quite straightforward. Rather than seeing it as a negative, we see it as a positive because we know exactly where we need to be by September.
“We’ve done a lot of work on our defensive structure, and the players have improved in controlling matches. We’re making fewer mistakes,” Carolan told Scoop.
Malaysia, ranked 14th in the world, were drawn in Group B alongside hosts and world No. 1 Belgium, world No. 5 Germany and world No. 6 France, leaving the Speedy Tigers with one of the toughest routes to the quarter-finals.
The national side have struggled against all three opponents in recent years.
Belgium handed Malaysia a 9-1 defeat at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh last year, while Germany cruised to a 10-1 victory in an international friendly in 2024.
France also beat Malaysia 3-1 during the group stage of the 2024 FIH Nations Cup in Gniezno, Poland.
Despite those heavy defeats, Carolan believes the team have made significant progress following an intensive 41-day overseas programme, which included the FIH Nations Cup and five Test matches against South Africa.
He said the focus is now on fine-tuning the squad, restoring the players’ physical condition and sharpening their tactical execution ahead of the World Cup.
“We’ve been in South Africa for 41 days, competing in the Nations Cup and playing five Test matches. The work we’ve put in has been invaluable, and now it’s about making sure the players are fresh and ready for the tournament,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has set the Speedy Tigers the target of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals.
Malaysia will depart for Belgium on Aug 3 to complete the final phase of their preparations, giving the squad time to acclimatise to the weather and time zone before warm-up matches against Spain on Aug 13 and Germany on Aug 15 at the tournament venue. – July 28, 2026