On 21 August 2026, Johor Darul Ta’zim beat Kuching City 3-0 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium and reached 109 league matches unbeaten, one more than the 108 that ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast set between 1989 and 1994 (Bernama). The game doubled as the opening fixture of the 2026-27 Malaysia Super League season, so the world record arrived with three points attached.
If that record is all you know about Liga Super, this guide fills in the rest. It covers how the league runs, who plays in it, which cups sit around it, how it has changed, and what still holds it back. Facts last verified on 29 October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- The Malaysia Super League (Liga Super) is Malaysia’s top professional tier, founded in 2004. The 2026-27 season has 12 clubs and runs from 21 August 2026 to 23 May 2027.
- Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) have won 12 consecutive titles. In 2025-26 they won 23 of 24 league games, drew the other and finished 17 points clear of second-placed Kuching City.
- JDT have won all six of their 2026-27 league games so far, scoring 28 goals and conceding none, so the unbeaten run keeps growing.
- Clubs need a national licence to play. Kelantan The Real Warriors were refused one, PDRM withdrew, and Perak and Kedah are suspended through 2026-27.
- Each club can register 15 foreign players, with up to six on the pitch at once.
- Four cups run alongside the league: the Charity Shield, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup and Challenge Cup.
What Is the Malaysia Super League?
The Malaysia Super League, known in Malay as Liga Super Malaysia, is the top tier of professional football in Malaysia. It kicked off in 2004 and is run by the Malaysian Football League (MFL), with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as managing partner. For sponsorship reasons, the 2026-27 edition is branded the Unifi Liga Super.
You will also see the term “M-League” in Malaysian media. It covers the whole set of MFL competitions, so a headline about the M-League season can mean the league, the cups, or both at once.
The 2026-27 campaign is the 23rd season of the Super League. It includes one club from outside the country: DPMM, based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, who were invited into the Malaysian pyramid from the 2025-26 season with FIFA’s approval.
Key Malay Terms to Know
Local match reports use Malay names for most competitions, and a few of them look unfamiliar at first. This short list covers the ones you will meet most often.
| Malay Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Liga Super | The Super League, the top tier |
| Piala Malaysia | The Malaysia Cup |
| Piala FA | The FA Cup |
| Piala Cabaran | The MFL Challenge Cup |
| Piala Sumbangsih | The Charity Shield, played before the season starts |
| Lesen Kebangsaan | The national licence a club needs to play |
How the Malaysia Super League Works
Liga Super uses a standard league model with two local twists: a strict licensing system and a foreign player quota that has changed almost every few years.
1. Format and Points
Every club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away. With 12 clubs in 2026-27, that gives each side 22 matches and the league 132 in total.
A win earns three points, a draw one, and a defeat none. Clubs level on points are separated by goal difference and then goals scored. If you want a refresher on the abbreviations in the standings, this guide on how to read a league table explains goal difference and the rest.
2. Season Calendar
The league now runs from August to May, in line with the major European leagues. The 2025-26 season ran from 8 August 2025 to 17 May 2026, and the 2026-27 season runs from 21 August 2026 to 23 May 2027. The Malaysia Cup then runs from January to May alongside the league.
3. Foreign Player Rules
The foreign player rules have swung more than almost any other part of the league. Foreign players were banned outright from 2009 to 2011, and the quota has grown steadily since they returned.
| Period | Foreign player rule |
|---|---|
| 2004 to 2008 | 3 foreign players per club |
| 2009 to 2011 | Foreign players banned |
| 2012 | 2 per club |
| 2013 | 3 per club |
| 2014 | 4 per club, 3 on the field |
| 2015 to 2017 | 4 per club, including 1 Asian slot |
| 2018 to 2022 | 5 per club, including 1 Asian and 1 ASEAN slot |
| 2023 | 9 per club, with 5 on the field |
| 2024 to 2025 | 9 for the league, with 7 on the field |
| 2025-26 and 2026-27 | 15 registered, with 6 on the field |
For 2026-27, clubs can register up to 15 foreign players. Six may be on the pitch at the same time, split into four open slots, one Asian slot and one ASEAN slot, and up to three more foreign players can sit on the bench. In 2025 the MFL first set seven on the pitch, then cut the number to six on 9 July 2025. The 15-player registration ceiling stayed. Critics argue the high ceiling widens the gap between richer and poorer clubs.
4. Club Licensing and Who Gets to Play
Playing in Liga Super depends as much on paperwork as on results. Each year an independent body, the First Instance Body (FIB), assesses clubs for a national licence across six areas: sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administration, legal, financial, and business.
The 2026-27 season shows how seriously this is enforced. On 26 May 2026 the FIB refused Kelantan The Real Warriors a licence, ruling them out of the league (New Straits Times). KL City and PDRM were each fined RM45,000 and licensed with conditions, and Immigration and Melaka also had to submit extra financial and infrastructure papers by 15 July. Only seven clubs came through with both national and AFC licences straight away: JDT, Kuching City, Selangor, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Sabah.
PDRM then withdrew in July, saying it wanted to focus on restructuring its management, which left a vacancy. That vacancy went to Kelantan Red Warrior, a separate club from Kelantan The Real Warriors despite the near-identical name. Red Warrior had finished fourth in the A1 Semi-Pro League and had completed the financial paperwork, while another A1 club, Armed Forces, did not apply (theSun). The MFL had already capped the league at 12 teams, saying a smaller field reduces the risk of clubs entering without the financial footing to finish the year.
5. Promotion From the A1 Semi-Pro League
Clubs come up from the second tier, the A1 Semi-Pro League. Melaka and Immigration were promoted for 2025-26, and Kelantan Red Warrior came up for 2026-27.
Licensing now decides as much as the table does. Kelantan The Real Warriors finished 12th and PDRM 13th in 2025-26, yet neither left the league through the standings. One was ruled out by the licensing panel and the other pulled out of the 2026-27 season.
A Short History of Liga Super
The Super League is younger than most people assume, and its current shape came from several rounds of restructuring.
1. From Liga Perdana to a Professional League
Malaysian football turned professional in 1994 with Liga Perdana. The Super League replaced that structure in 2004, after the Football Association of Malaysia decided to privatise the league. The first season began on 14 February 2004 with eight clubs, and Pahang won the inaugural title.
The number of clubs has changed many times since.
| Period | Clubs in the Super League |
|---|---|
| 2004 to 2006 | 8 |
| 2007 to 2008 | 13 |
| 2009 to 2012 | 14 |
| 2013 to 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 14 |
| 2024-25 and 2025-26 | 13 |
| 2026-27 | 12 |
2. Champions Before JDT
Before 2014, the title moved around. Eight different clubs have won the Super League in total, and the pre-JDT list includes an unexpected name.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Pahang |
| 2005 | Perlis |
| 2005-06 | Negeri Sembilan |
| 2006-07 | Kedah |
| 2007-08 | Kedah |
| 2009 | Selangor |
| 2010 | Selangor |
| 2011 | Kelantan |
| 2012 | Kelantan |
| 2013 | LionsXII (Singapore) |
LionsXII, a Singapore-based side that played in the Malaysian league, won the 2013 title. It makes a good trivia answer.
3. The JDT Era From 2014
JDT have won every title since 2014: 2014 to 2023, then 2024-25 and 2025-26, for a record 12 in a row. They became the first club to win three in a row in September 2016. No other club has won more than two Super League titles in total.
That run is why almost every conversation about Malaysian football now starts and ends in Johor. The JDT section below picks up that thread.
4. Sponsors and Broadcasters
The league’s title sponsor has changed often. Dunhill sponsored the first season in 2004, Telekom Malaysia (TM) from 2005 to 2010, and Astro from 2012 to 2014. Unifi sponsored in 2018, CIMB in 2020 and CelcomDigi in 2024-25, and Unifi is back as title sponsor for 2026-27.
On television, RTM has long carried matches free to air. Astro has been the official pay-TV broadcaster since 2023, and announced on 21 August 2026 that it will continue for the next two seasons.
The 12 Clubs in the 2026-27 Season
Twelve clubs signed up for the 2026-27 campaign. Here is where each is based and where it finished last season. The list includes a club from Brunei and one that changed its name over the summer.
| Club | Base | 2025-26 finish |
|---|---|---|
| DPMM | Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei | 10th |
| Johor Darul Ta’zim | Iskandar Puteri, Johor | 1st |
| Kelantan Red Warrior | Kota Bharu, Kelantan | Promoted from A1 (4th) |
| Kuala Lumpur City | Cheras, Kuala Lumpur | 4th |
| Kuching City | Kuching, Sarawak | 2nd |
| Melaka | Krubong, Melaka | 11th |
| Negeri Sembilan | Seremban, Negeri Sembilan | 7th |
| Penang | George Town, Penang | 8th |
| Sabah | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah | 9th |
| Selangor | Petaling Jaya, Selangor | 3rd |
| Star City | Kangar, Perlis | 6th (as Immigration) |
| Terengganu | Kuala Nerus, Terengganu | 5th |
Star City is the former Immigration FC, renamed ahead of this season.
Who Is Missing
Several familiar names are absent. Kelantan The Real Warriors were refused a licence and PDRM withdrew, as described above. Sri Pahang withdrew from the 2025-26 league despite holding a licence. In September 2025 the MFL suspended Pahang for one season, and suspended Perak and Kedah Darul Aman for two seasons, through 2026-27, for failing to obtain a licence. All three also lost their entitlement to merit-based revenue distribution (Malay Mail). Pahang’s one-season suspension has ended, but they are not in the 2026-27 field either.
Clubs to Watch Behind JDT
Behind JDT, a few clubs carry real history. Selangor finished third last season and hold a record 33 Malaysia Cup titles. Kuching City were league runners-up and lost the 2026 Malaysia Cup final to JDT, which makes them the best of the rest.
Kuala Lumpur City took fourth place and won the Malaysia Cup in 2021. Sabah won the 2026 Challenge Cup, their first title in that competition. Terengganu finished fifth and carry one of the league’s best-known regional rivalries, the East Coast Derby against Kelantan, which is back on the calendar now that Kelantan Red Warrior have been promoted.
For stadiums, honours and what to expect from each side, read the full guide to the Malaysia Super League teams.
Johor Darul Ta’zim and the Unbeaten Run
JDT are the reason Liga Super gets international headlines. The club is owned by Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, Johor’s Crown Prince and Regent, and has been a separate entity from the Johor football association since January 2016. JDT II act as its reserve side in the second tier. Home is the 40,000-capacity Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, and the squad is coached by Spaniard Xisco Muñoz and captained by Arif Aiman. In 2026 the club also appointed former Liverpool and Spain midfielder Luis García as chief executive.
The numbers from 2025-26 are hard to believe. JDT won 23 of 24 league games and drew the other, scoring 117 goals, conceding 10 and finishing on 70 points. Second-placed Kuching City had 53 and third-placed Selangor 52. They won 20 league games in a row at one point.
Two scorelines tell the story better than the table does. JDT beat DPMM 10-0 on 25 October 2025 and won 14-1 at Kelantan The Real Warriors on 10 May 2026. The second was the biggest win and the highest-scoring match in the league’s history, beating Selangor’s 11-2 win over Kelantan in August 2023.
The striker behind many of those goals is Bergson, a Brazilian who was 35 at the end of last season. He scored 27 in 2025-26, including six in the 14-1 win, and has more than 130 league goals, the most of any player in the competition’s history.
How the World Record Works
JDT have not lost a Super League match since April 2021. The 14-1 win in May 2026 took them level with ASEC Mimosas on 108 matches, and the 3-0 win over Kuching City on 21 August 2026 made it 109. The streak counts league games only, but the opening Charity Shield match counted that night because it doubled as the first league fixture of the season, as it did in 2025 as well.
The run had reached 111 by the end of August 2026, after a 9-0 win over Kelantan Red Warrior on 26 August and a 7-0 win over Star City on 28 August. By late October JDT had won all six of their league games this season, scoring 28 goals without conceding.
The 2025-26 season was also a domestic quadruple, with the league, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup and Charity Shield all won in one season. Read More: how JDT built Malaysian football’s biggest dynasty.
Cup Competitions Around the League
Liga Super is only one of several competitions that make up the Malaysian season. Four cups run alongside it, and each has a different qualification path.
1. Charity Shield
The Charity Shield, known locally as the Piala Sumbangsih, opens the season and is a single match between the reigning league champions and the Malaysia Cup winners. When one club wins both, as JDT did, the league runners-up take the other place. In 2025 and 2026 the match also doubled as the first league game of the season, so in 2026 JDT hosted Kuching City with league points at stake. JDT won 3-0 and collected both the trophy and the three points.
2. FA Cup
The Malaysia FA Cup began in 1990 and is the cup that matters for Asia, because the winners earn a place in the AFC Champions League Two group stage. If the winners have already qualified for the Champions League Elite through the league, the place passes to the second-placed league club, as it did to Kuching City in 2025-26. The 2026-27 edition runs from 1 September 2026 to 16 January 2027.
3. Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup, or Piala Malaysia, is the oldest competition in the country, dating to 1921 when it was called the Malaya Cup. Selangor hold the record with 33 titles, Singapore’s FA won 24, and JDT now have six.
JDT beat Kuching City 2-0 in the 2026 final at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 23 May 2026, in front of 50,032 spectators. It was their fourth Malaysia Cup in a row, which made them the first team to win four consecutive editions (Malay Mail). For 2026-27, the first round starts on 22 January 2027 and the final is on 30 May 2027.
4. Challenge Cup
The MFL Challenge Cup is the youngest of the four, with the 2026 edition the fifth. It is for the clubs that lose in the Malaysia Cup round of 16, and Sabah won the 2026 edition on penalties against Penang after a 1-1 aggregate draw, for their first title in the competition. The 2026-27 edition starts on 10 February 2027, with a two-legged final on 11 and 18 April 2027.
The trophy matters less than the other three, yet it gives clubs knocked out of the Malaysia Cup early some more knockout football. Read More: Malaysia Cup vs FA Cup vs Challenge Cup explained.
Where the Super League Sits in the Malaysian Football Pyramid
Liga Super is level one of a pyramid that runs down through semi-professional and amateur football. Each tier is run by a different body, and the gap between the first and second levels is wide.
The second tier is the A1 Semi-Pro League, run by the Amateur Football League (AFL). Reserve sides such as JDT II and Selangor II play there alongside clubs such as Armed Forces and UM Damansara United, and it is the league Kelantan Red Warrior came from. Below that are the A2 Amateur League and a range of state and community leagues. The whole ladder is covered in this guide to the Malaysian football league system, including who runs what and how clubs move between levels.
Malaysian Clubs in Asia
Malaysia’s continental story is mostly JDT’s story. The club won the AFC Cup in 2015, beating FC Istiklol 1-0 in Dushanbe, which made them the first Southeast Asian side to win that tournament.
In 2022-23, JDT became the first Malaysian club to reach the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League, where they lost 5-0 to Urawa Red Diamonds in a single-match last 16. The best result came in 2025-26 in the revamped AFC Champions League Elite. JDT finished in the top eight of the 12-team East league stage, then beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-2 on aggregate in the last 16 (3-1 at home, 0-1 away on 11 March 2026). In the centralised finals in Jeddah, they lost 2-1 to defending champions Al-Ahli in the quarter-final on 17 April 2026, despite leading and playing against 10 men for most of the match (Bernama). It was JDT’s first quarter-final in the competition.
For 2027-28, the Super League leader qualifies for the Champions League Elite league stage and the next qualifying place goes to the AFC Champions League Two group stage. DPMM cannot qualify for AFC competitions because they are based in Brunei.
The top two Super League clubs also enter the ASEAN Club Championship. In 2025-26, JDT and Selangor both reached the semi-finals of that competition.
JDT are back in the Champions League Elite league stage this season. The AFC Champions League Elite league profile has the competition details, fixtures and standings.
The 2025-26 Season at a Glance
Last season is the best snapshot of where the league stands, because it was the first to run from August to May and it ended with a record-breaking champion. Thirteen clubs played 156 matches and scored 514 goals, an average of 3.29 per game.
JDT finished first on 70 points, followed by Kuching City (53), Selangor (52) and Kuala Lumpur City (43). At the bottom, Melaka had 19 points, Kelantan The Real Warriors 15 and PDRM 11.
Bergson won the Golden Boot with 27 goals, his third after 2022 and 2024-25, ahead of Selangor’s Chrigor on 23. The recent winners are below.
| Season | Golden Boot Winner | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ifedayo Olusegun (Selangor) | 26 |
| 2022 | Bergson (JDT) | 29 |
| 2023 | Ayron del Valle (Selangor) | 23 |
| 2024-25 | Bergson (JDT) | 32 |
| 2025-26 | Bergson (JDT) | 27 |
League Records
| Record | Holder |
|---|---|
| Most titles and most in a row | JDT, 12 |
| Biggest title-winning margin | 23 points, JDT in 2018 (59 points to Perak’s 36) |
| Most points in a season | 76, JDT in 2023 |
| Biggest win and most goals in a match | Kelantan The Real Warriors 1-14 JDT, 10 May 2026 |
| Most goals in a season | 32, Bergson in 2024-25 |
| Most league goals | Bergson, more than 130 |
| Most league appearances | Indra Putra Mahayuddin, 330 (as of 2025) |
Bergson also scored six in the 14-1 win, which beats the previous league best of five goals in one match.
The 2026-27 Season So Far
The new season began with the 21 August Charity Shield and has been a one-sided start. The latest table we could find, from late October, had JDT first with six wins from six and a 28-0 goal difference. Selangor were second with five wins from five, and Kuching City were third on 12 points from six games.
The early statistics show how lopsided the league can be:
- JDT beat Kelantan Red Warrior 9-0 at home on 26 August and Star City 7-0 two days later.
- Kuching City won 6-0 at Kuala Lumpur City on 26 August.
- Kelantan Red Warrior, the newest club, lost their first five league games, scoring four and conceding 24.
- By mid-September, Iran’s Shahab Zahedi (JDT), Cameroon’s Jerome Etame (Kuching City) and Brazil’s Chrigor (Selangor) shared the scoring lead on seven goals each.
There has also been one off-field ruling. In late August the MFL fined Kuala Lumpur City RM50,000 and awarded Negeri Sembilan a 3-0 win, after KL City were found to have failed to register enough players, as reported by the New Straits Times.
The Problems Liga Super Still Has to Solve
Liga Super has three problems, and each one shows up in the numbers.
1. A One-Club Title Race
JDT won the 2025-26 title by 17 points, and the league’s record winning margin is 23 points, also set by JDT, in 2018. Their 12 titles are all consecutive, and no other club has won more than two. The foreign player rules add to the gap, because only a handful of clubs can afford to fill all 15 registration slots with quality.
2. Thin Crowds
The 2025-26 season drew 605,342 spectators across 156 matches, roughly 3,900 a game on the league’s own figures. The biggest crowd, 32,777, came at JDT against Selangor on the opening weekend, and the smallest was 220 for PDRM against DPMM the next day.
That spread, from 32,777 down to 220, shows how uneven the matchday experience is across the league. JDT have been the league’s biggest draw for years, averaging more than 17,000 a game in 2023, while many fixtures are played in near-empty grounds. The 50,032 who packed the 2026 Malaysia Cup final show that big occasions can still fill a stadium.
3. Clubs Struggling to Stay Solvent
Licensing is the league’s answer to financial instability, and the 2025-26 and 2026-27 cycles show the cost. In September 2025 the MFL suspended Perak and Kedah for two seasons each for failing to obtain a licence, and Pahang for one season for withdrawing after receiving one. All three also lost their entitlement to merit-based revenue distribution after the 2024-25 season.
This year Kelantan The Real Warriors were refused a licence and PDRM withdrew, and the MFL cut the league to 12 teams. The bet is that a smaller league of clubs that can pay their way is healthier than a bigger one that keeps losing members, even though it leaves some traditional names out.
The National Team Scandal Behind the Headlines
Malaysian club football is in good shape, but the national team made bigger headlines in 2025 and 2026 for the wrong reason. FIFA found that documents used to establish the Malaysian heritage of seven foreign-born players had been falsified. On 26 September 2025 it fined the Football Association of Malaysia CHF 350,000 and suspended the seven players for 12 months from football-related activities.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the federation’s appeal on 5 March 2026 and slightly reduced the players’ punishments. Two Asian Cup qualifiers, against Nepal and Vietnam, were recorded as 0-3 losses for Malaysia, which knocked Malaysia out and put Vietnam through to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup (Wikipedia). It is a story about the federation rather than the clubs, and it sits apart from the league’s own progress described above.
How to Follow Liga Super This Season
Astro announced on 21 August 2026 that it will continue as the league’s official broadcaster for the next two seasons. It shows Liga Super matches live, along with the Charity Shield, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup and Challenge Cup, on its Arena Bola channels (803 and 804), Astro GO, NJOI and Sooka (Astro). RTM also carries matches free to air.
For results and standings, the MFL’s official channels carry the table and fixtures. For fixtures across the wider picture, the leagues hub covers the major leagues and continental competitions, including JDT’s Asian games.
Beyond Malaysia, a rundown of underrated leagues worth following places Liga Super alongside other competitions that deserve more attention outside their home markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many clubs are in the Malaysia Super League? Twelve in 2026-27, down from 13 last season.
When does the 2026-27 season run? From 21 August 2026 to 23 May 2027.
Who has won the most titles? Johor Darul Ta’zim, with 12, all in a row since 2014.
What is JDT’s world record? They are unbeaten in the league since April 2021. Their 109th match without defeat, on 21 August 2026, passed ASEC Mimosas’ 108, and the run has kept growing.
How many foreign players can a club use? Clubs can register 15, with up to six on the pitch.
Why are Kelantan The Real Warriors, PDRM, Perak, Kedah and Pahang missing? Kelantan The Real Warriors were refused a licence, PDRM withdrew, Perak and Kedah are suspended through 2026-27, and Pahang withdrew from 2025-26 and are not in this season’s field.
Which Malaysian clubs qualify for Asia? The league champions enter the AFC Champions League Elite and the next qualifying club enters the AFC Champions League Two.
Where to Start with Liga Super
The easiest way in is to watch JDT at home once, then watch a game between two of the other eleven. The first shows you the ceiling of Malaysian club football, and the second shows you the rest of the league, where Kuching City, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur City filled the other top-four places last season.
Follow the licensing story as closely as the table. Whether Kelantan Red Warrior hold their place, whether the 12-club format sticks, and what happens when the Perak and Kedah suspensions end after 2026-27 will shape Liga Super more than any single result.
JDT are the heavy favourites for the 2026-27 title, so the more interesting races are for second place, the Malaysia Cup draw and the next Asian slot. Those are where the rest of the league’s clubs are actually competing.