KUALA LUMPUR: After a 10-year hiatus, the iconic Merdeka Tournament is set to make a comeback in October.
Palestine, currently ranked world No 93, Lebanon (100th) and India (106th) have confirmed their participation alongside Malaysia in the quadrangular competition.
India are no strangers to the tournament having finished runners-up twice in 1959 and and 1964. Their last appearance in the competition came in 2001. Palestine and Lebanon will be making their debut this year.
FA of Malaysia (FAM) competition committee chairman Firdaus Mohamed said the competition will play a key role in the national team's preparations for the Asian Cup in January next year.
Harimau Malaya are currently ranked No 145.
"We picked the teams based on what (national) coach Kim Pan Gon wanted. There's a big chance the squad will play against Middle East teams in the Asian Cup so we need to test our players against sides with similar physiques," said Firdaus today.
"These countries fit the bill and are also ranked higher than us.
"It will be an important tournament for the national team and will allow them to assess their abilities before the Asian Cup takes place."
Firdaus did not rule out the possibility of the tournament being held in an expanded format in the future.
"We are confident the prestige of the Merdeka Tournament will be restored with the participation of higher-ranked teams and it will also make the tournament more interesting," said Firdaus.
"This is a start, we will see if we can expand the competition in the future.
"We have to consider the Fifa match days as well as the M-League fixtures. We cannot simply organise tournaments without proper planning."