KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — The 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup Division 1 regu event has been cancelled after a majority of teams withdrew due to the West Asian conflict.

International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Kader said that 10 out of 12 teams scheduled to compete confirmed their withdrawal and even though the remaining teams appealed to be allowed to compete in the premier division, the matter could not be done.

“Ten out of 12 teams in division 1 have withdrawn. There are appeals to compete in the premier division, but we can’t allow that.

“So we feel sad that we can’t run the division 1 event this year,” he said at a media conference after the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup draw at the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy Complex here today.

The ten teams that withdrew are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Canada, Poland, France, the United States, Timor-Leste, Saudi Arabia and Oman, while Pakistan and Iraq remained as participants. — Bernama