Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) won their fourth consecutive Malaysia Cup after beating Kuching City 2-0 in the final at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on May 23, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. JDT, who completed a sweep of all four major Malaysian domestic trophies for the fourth straight season, took the lead in the 81st minute through Brazilian Marcos Guilherme. Arif Aiman added a second goal in injury time. A late goal from Stuart Wilkin in the 95th minute was disallowed for JDT [1, 2, 3].
Kuching City, led by 48-year-old Singaporean coach Aidil Sharin, reached their first Malaysia Cup final in the 2025-26 season after finishing as runners-up in the Malaysia Super League behind JDT in a 13-team league [4, 5, 6, 7]. Kuching City secured their first-ever continental berth and will participate in next season’s AFC Champions League Two [4, 5, 6, 7].
Aidil Sharin joined Kuching City in August 2023, steering the team away from relegation that season. He undertook a squad overhaul, leading the club to its highest finish to date [4, 5, 6, 7]. Sharin said, “I am not surprised by what I have been able to achieve overseas because I have learnt a lot along the way and I know that I work very hard for it... The experience [at Persikabo 1973] made me stronger as a coach and as a person.” Sharin had a six-month stint in 2023 coaching Indonesian club Persikabo 1973, winning six of 21 matches before being replaced [4, 5, 6, 7].
Before joining Kuching City, Sharin led Kedah to the Malaysia Cup final in 2019, where they also lost to JDT. He won the Malaysian FA Cup with Kedah in 2019 and helped them reach runner-up spots in 2020 and 2021 before departing in 2022 [4, 5, 1, 2, 3]. Aidil Sharin was named Coach of the Year at the Malaysia Football Awards after guiding Kuching City to fourth place in the 2024-25 Malaysia Super League [4, 5, 6, 7].
JDT’s 2026 Malaysia Cup win marked their fourth straight title in the competition dating back to 2023. It also completed a domestic sweep alongside the Charity Shield, FA Cup, and Super League titles they have won consistently since 2022 [1, 2, 3].
Aidil Sharin said his long-term goal remains to manage the Singapore national team, and he plans to continue gaining coaching experience abroad to prepare for that opportunity [4, 5, 6, 7].
