Kota Kinabalu: Local teams are set to compete in a qualifying tournament in August to seek a place in the 2026 Malaysia Borneo Football Cup tournament to be held in late September.
Scott Ollenshaw, managing director of Borneo Sports & Adventure Holiday, organiser of the main event, said this is due to overwhelming response from local teams.
“Since 2008, we have invited selected Sabah teams to participate as part of our corporate social responsibility as well as to give opportunity to young Sabah football players.
“An average of 40 teams are invited annually, totalling 720 teams over the years, completely free of charge.
“However, as the tournament has grown in exposure and popularity, we are simply unable to accommodate the constant requests for entry from our local Sabahan teams.
“This is the main reason why we feel the Sabah Borneo Cup Qualifiers are important: to give as many local teams as possible the opportunity to qualify for an International Youth Development Tournament featuring teams from Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei, West Malaysia, and, of course, Sabah,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
He added that further information on the tournament will be announced next week.
Meanwhile, the qualifying tournament divided into the Under-10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 categories is open to only 16 teams in each category.
Only the top three teams will gain automatic, free entry to the 2026 Malaysia Borneo Football Cup tournament, while the fourth placed team will be the first reserve.
