Malaysia are one of four Southeast Asian countries to have won the AFF Championship at least once.
They have not won it since 2010, though, and were even unable to make it out of the group stages altogether during the 2020 edition in Singapore, which took place in 2021 after a one-year deal due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The heavy 4-1 defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Indonesia in particular will have hurt and they will be desperate to do better this time around.
A tough task awaits in Group B, however, as Malaysia will have to deal with the likes of Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and Laos.
Who are the players in line to represent them at this year's tournament, though?
Let's take a look at the men at Kim Pan-gon's disposal after the withdrawal of 12 players due to personal reasons or clubs' decision not to release their stars.