KUCHING: Eight amateur football clubs are now one step closer to a RM100,000 payday after the state-level competitions of Piala Cahya Mata 2026 concluded, crowning a champion in each of the eight participating states.
Each state champion has already pocketed RM20,000 in prize money. The bigger reward, however, waits in Kuching, where the winner of the nationwide amateur football tournament will take home the RM100,000 grand prize.
Reaching this stage is an achievement in itself. Piala Cahya Mata 2026 started with 256 amateur teams, which means only one in every 32 sides made it into the final eight.
Meet the Eight State Champions of Piala Cahya Mata 2026
From Sabah to Kelantan, the qualifiers represent a wide spread of grassroots football talent across Malaysia. The eight state champions are:
- RDPJ FC – Sarawak
- AR Gang – Sabah
- Cheng City FC – Melaka
- Bomba N. Sembilan – Negeri Sembilan
- MPAJ FC – Selangor (Zon Lembah Klang)
- Jendarata FC – Perak
- TwentyFour FC – Pahang
- The Bangsal Kopi – Kelantan
Group Stage in Negeri Sembilan, 5 to 7 November
The next stage moves to Negeri Sembilan from 5 to 7 November 2026, where the eight teams have been divided into two groups of four:
- Group A: Cheng City FC, TwentyFour FC, The Bangsal Kopi and MPAJ FC
- Group B: Bomba N. Sembilan, RDPJ FC, Jendarata FC and AR Gang
Only the top two teams from each group will progress. That leaves just four sides standing for the semi-finals, and very little margin for error over three days of football. Bomba N. Sembilan will also have the added boost of playing the group stage on home soil.
The Road to the Grand Final in Kuching
The four qualifiers will head to Kuching in mid-November for the knockout rounds. Based on the official bracket, the semi-finals are crossover ties:
- Semi-final 1: Group A winner vs Group B runner-up
- Semi-final 2: Group B winner vs Group A runner-up
The two semi-final winners advance to the championship final to decide who lifts the Piala Cahya Mata 2026 trophy, while the two losing semi-finalists meet in a third and fourth place match.
“More Than a Football Tournament”
Cahya Mata Group Managing Director YBhg. Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman B Abdul Taib congratulated the qualifiers and pointed to the tournament’s wider purpose.
“We congratulate all eight state champions on their achievement and look forward to seeing them compete in the next stage in Kuching. Piala Cahya Mata is more than a football tournament; it brings communities together, promotes an active and healthy lifestyle, and creates opportunities for Malaysians to participate in sport.”
YBhg. Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman B Abdul Taib, Group Managing Director, Cahya Mata
Piala Cahya Mata 2026 in Numbers
The scale of this year’s edition shows how strong the appetite for community football runs across the country:
- 256 amateur teams
- About 6,400 players across eight states
- 1,387 drug tests conducted with relevant agencies, all negative to date
- RM20,000 for each state champion
- RM100,000 for the overall champion
The drug-testing programme reflects the organiser’s commitment to clean and healthy sport, an important message for a competition built on community participation.
The tournament is organised by Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad, the Bursa Malaysia-listed group that is Sarawak’s sole cement manufacturer, with a portfolio of more than 40 operating companies. Catch up on how the competition kicked off in our earlier story on Cahya Mata’s national football and cycling push.
Piala Cahya Mata 2026 Key Dates
- State-level competitions: concluded, eight state champions crowned
- Group stage: 5 to 7 November 2026, Negeri Sembilan
- Semi-finals and Grand Final: mid-November 2026, Kuching
Follow the Action
Fans can check match fixtures, venues and standings on the official tournament website at cahyamata.sukandigital.com. With eight states in the mix and a RM100,000 prize on the line, November is shaping up to be a big month for Malaysian amateur football.
