The Indian men’s team, despite losing to Malaysia in a Group C match, secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur. India, the Asian Champions, had two wins against South Korea and Singapore before facing Malaysia, who had also won two matches but suffered a defeat to South Korea earlier.
India and Malaysia, both with two wins each, progressed to the quarterfinals due to their superior overall game points tally. India topped the group standings, while Malaysia finished as the runner-up. The match took place at Stadium Titiwangsa, with the Indian team making a strong start by winning the opening set against Malaysia.
Despite India’s initial lead, Malaysia fought back and won the second set in a close battle, forcing a deciding set which they dominated to secure victory. The Malaysian captain, Amirul Zazwan, highlighted his team’s determination to bounce back from mistakes in the opening set and praised their performance in the subsequent sets to secure the win.
In another Group C match, South Korea defeated Singapore 2-0 in the tournament.
