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All You Want to Know About Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

  • Australia won the inaugural 1983 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup beating Pakistan 1-0 in the final held at the Tun Razak Stadium in at Kuala Lumpur
  • South Korea’s Jang Jong-hyun (2005 & 2019), Sandeep Singh (2009 & 2010), Rupinder Pal Singh (2011 & 2013), & Mandeep Singh (2019 & 2017) have been top goal-scorers twice
  • Countries participated in the inaugural 1983 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand

  • Andreas Keller scored a late extra-time goal to help West Germany beat Pakistan 3-2 to win the 1987 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • India won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 1985 for the first time ever beating hosts Malaysia 4-2 in the final
  • Australia have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup most times – 10 (983, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018)
  • Sandeep Singh was named Best Player of the Tournament at the 2009 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

  • Pakistan have been runners-up in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on most occasions – 6 times


  • Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was first held at Ipoh in 1985
  • Mohammed Shahid was the captain of the victorious 1985 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Indian team
  • At the 1987 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup semifinal against Germany, hosts Malaysia gave their everything and were goalless at the end of regulation time, 1-1 at the end of extra time and were nosed out 6-7 in penalty strokes
  • At the inaugural 1983 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Mohammed Shahid scored in India’s 1-1 draw against Pakistan
  • 9 nations have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – India, Pakistan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Germany, Netherlands and Great Britain
  • India became the first team to regain the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup when it won the 1991 edition after cornering glory in 1985
  • Hosts Malaysia have never won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • A total of 20 countries have featured in 28 editions of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas is the only player to be the top goal-scorer at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – 4 times – 12 Goals in 1999, 10 Goals in 2001, 5 Goals in 2003, 10 Goals in 2004)
  • Hardeep Singh scored India’s match-winner against Pakistan in the semifinal of the 1985 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

  • Australia and Germany played a gruelling final in the 1998 edition, where the Kookaburras won in penalty strokes 10-9 after being locked 1-1 at the end of extra time
  • Hosts Malaysia have finished runners-up in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 5 times (1985, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014)
  • India’s Sandeep Singh was the top goal-scorer at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup twice – 9 Goals in 2008 & 6 Goals in 2009
  • Australia Beating Malaysia 8-3 in the 2014 editions is the biggest victory margin in any final in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas has scored most goals in any single tourney – 12 Goals in 1999 edition
  • Three nations have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup back-to-back – Australia, Pakistan, India
  • Pakistan did not play in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on three consecutive occasions – 1995, 1996, 1998
  • Hardeep Singh and SV Sunil both lost their fathers while playing in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup but stayed on to help India win the crown in 1985 and 2009
  • New Zealand played in the inaugural 1983 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and it took them 29 years to win the tournament in 2012 when they pipped Argentina 1-0 in the final
  • India have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 5 times (1985, 1991, 1995, 2009, 2010)
  • Australia’s Chris Ciriello holds the record for scoring most goals in any final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – 4 goals in 8-3 win over Malaysia in the 2014 edition
  • Australia is the only side to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup back-to-back twice – 2004 & 2005, 2013 & 2014
  • Biggest Victory Margin in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – India Beating Poland 10-0 (2019)
  • Sohail Abbas scored a hat-trick in Pakistan’s 3-2 win over India in the 2004 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Only occasion in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup when both finalists were declared joint winners was at the 2010 edition – due to bad weather, the final between India and Korea was abandoned after 6 minutes and 14 seconds of play

  • 4 nations have featured in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup only once – Soviet Union (1991), Belgium (2008), Ireland (2018) & Poland (2019)
  • India have given the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup a miss on 6 occasions – (1987, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2003 & 2014

  • Argentina’s only win came in 2008 when they beat India 2-1 in extra-time riding on an extra-time goal by Mario Almada
  • India have faced Pakistan 15 times in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – won 10 times, lost 4 times and drew once
  • Mighty Australia had finished last in the 1985 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Soviet Union appeared once in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in the 1991 edition and finished third
  • India have won the bronze in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on most occasions – 7 times

  • South Korea finished last in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on three consecutive occasions (1987, 1991 & 1994)


  •  Sardar Singh has captained India on most occasions in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – 4 times (2008, 2015, 2016, 2018)
  • India beat Germany 5-4 in penalty stroke after being tied 2-2 at the end of extra time to win the 1995 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Hosts Malaysia have finished last in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on most occasions – 8 times (1995, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015)
  • Sardar Singh was named Best Player of the Tournament at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup twice – 2010 & 2012
  • Netherlands have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup only once in 2006 pipping Australia 6-2 in the final
  • Nikkin Thimmaiah is the only India to score a hat-trick against Australia in the 2015 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Gonzallo Peillat scored a hat-trick in their 3-2 win over India at the 2018 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Egypt is the only side to finish last in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup back-to-back in 2009 & 2010
  • Rupinder Pal Singh scored a hat-trick on his international debut tourney in India’s 3-1 win over Great Britain in the 2011 edition