KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team will go on a playing tour of Europe next month as part of their preparation for the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, in January.
Malaysia will play four matches against Spain and two against France.
Coach A. Arulselvaraj today said he is also finalising matches with Olympic champions Belgium.
"We want to play as many matches as possible against top teams before the World Cup."
The Speedy Tigers, runners-up at this year's Asia Cup in Indonesia, will play in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in November and the Nations Cup in South Africa the following month.
Japan, South Korea and Pakistan are the confirmed teams for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.
Before leaving for the World Cup, Malaysia will play three matches against New Zealand in December.
In the 2018 World Cup, also in Bhubaneswar, Malaysia finished 15 out of 16 teams.