SHAH ALAM, Sept 14 — This year’s prestigious Datuk Mokhtar Dahari Cup has been officially rebranded as the 2026 Sultan Selangor’s Silver Jubilee Cup Football Championship in conjunction with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the reign of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Organising Committee Chairman Datuk Emran Kadir said this strategic rebranding step elevates the status of the grassroots tournament to a higher level, while bringing a fresh carnival-style competition format modeled after the World Cup, involving 48 school teams across the state.

“This tournament was commanded by the Sultan of Selangor to be held in conjunction with His Royal Highness’s 25th Silver Jubilee celebration. So we are organising this tournament just like we organised the previous cup, the only difference is previously there were only 32 teams, but now there are 48 teams.

“At the same time, the sponsorship from the state government amounting to RM500,000 also boosts the morale of all 48 participating teams as it will be distributed as initial capital.

“Each school will receive RM1,200 at the initial stage and will receive RM1,000 for each round up to the semi-finals,” he said after receiving a mock check worth RM500,000 from the Selangor State Secretary, Datuk Dr Ahmad Fadzli Ahmad Tajuddin, in conjunction with the Presentation Ceremony of the Sultan Selangor’s Silver Jubilee Cup Football Championship Sponsorship here today.

Emran added that the rebranding of the tournament applies only for this year, specially in conjunction with the 25 years of the Sultan of Selangor’s reign, in line with His Royal Highness’s own decree and idea.

“This is only for this year in conjunction with Tuanku’s 25 years of reign and after this, it will revert back to the Datuk Mokhtar Dahari Cup. Actually, this was all Tuanku’s idea and the trophy itself will also be personally contributed by His Royal Highness,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Fadzli said the sponsorship presented is a sign of the state government’s full support for the organising committee to unearth the talent and potential of young players described as the future successors of the state’s football.

He said that aspects of talent management and player discipline are also priorities to ensure that the under-15 age group competition runs smoothly without any unwanted incidents throughout the tournament held across 12 districts.

“In addition, the state government encourages the organising committee to also emphasise close cooperation with the Football Association of Selangor (FAS) as well as state sports bodies to monitor the potential of young players who are described as future successors.

“This sponsorship serves as an encouragement, except that after this, perhaps the state sports authorities, FAS, and others need to look at the existing working space regarding how the state government can assist. We see the focus of the organisation, but how we (the way to) improve the tournament such as the provision of facilities and the sports ecosystem, including player welfare,” he said.

The tournament’s opening match that will also serve as the curtain raiser is scheduled on September 22 before the climax of the final match takes place on October 31 at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Stadium, with the official royal attendance of the Sultan of Selangor to grace the closing ceremony.

The 2026 Sultan Selangor’s Silver Jubilee Cup Football Championship offers a total cash prize of RM12,000 for the champion, followed by RM9,000, RM7,000, and RM5,000 for the second to fourth-place winners respectively. — Bernama