KUALA LUMPUR: At least eight women's Junior Asia Cup (JAC) players will be added to the long list for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
A long list consists of tentative players who might get a chance to play in multiple sports events.
The Malaysian women's team failed to advance to the semi-finals of the JAC when they lost to South Korea 3-1 in their final group match on Thursday.
Today, Malaysia will play Kazakhstan for fifth spot in the JAC in Kakamigahara, Japan.
"This JAC team aee made up of at least 70 per cent raw players but still they did well enough to challenge India (lost 2-1) and South Korea.
"Many of the players grew in strength during the JAC and will be included in the Asia Games long list and undergo training for Hangzhou. We will have a mixed team because we have a long term plan to play in the semi-finals of the 2026 Asian Games," said Malaysian juniors coach Lailin Abu Hassan.
"Only five players from this juniors squad have played with the seniors at various levels, and they proved themselves in Kakamigahara."
As for the match against Kazakhstan, Lailin is confident his players will not disappoint.
"In the fifth-eighth classification, Kazakhstan had edged Taiwan 4-3 while we beat Taiwan 7-0 in Group A.
"Not wanting to sound overconfident, I'm being realistic when I say that we have a good chance of beating Kazakhstan for a fifth place finish in the JAC," said Lailin.