TEHRAN - Iran will defend their title at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 after clinching their Finals spot with a decisive 4-0 win against Malaysia in their Qualifiers Group G tie on Wednesday.

Iran finished top of the group with three wins with Malaysia second on six points.

The other match saw United Arab Emirates conclude their campaign in style with an 8-2 win against Bangladesh.

Iran started on the front foot and had Malaysia pinned in their own half but with the hosts defending resolutely, needed a moment of inspiration to find the breakthrough.

That came in the fourth minute when goalkeeper Saied Momeni ventured over the halfway line before creating space for the unmarked Mehdi Mehdikhani to fire into the top corner for the opener.

A lapse in concentration from Malaysia when defending a corner saw them go further behind in the 12th minute as Masoud Yousef's cleverly taken kick found Mohammadhossein Derakhshani, who easily turned the ball in at the back post.

Iran were reminded that Malaysia were still capable of troubling them with efforts in the dying minutes of the first half, Syahir Iqbal forcing Momeni into a save before Awalluddin Nawi and Syahir again shooting wide from good positions.

After the interval, the pattern of the game remained the same with Iran dominating play but unlike the first half, found the Malaysian defense tougher to breach.

Limited to shots from distance, Iran's best chance came in the 27th minute from Yousef but Malaysia custodian Syaifuddin Syukri showed good reflexes to block the powerfully struck attempt.

Iran's persistent pressure was rewarded late in the half with Hossein Tayebi pouncing on a rebound in the 33rd minute before Ali Khalilvand looped a header over Syaifuddin Syukri to seal qualification for the 13-time champions, the-afc.com reported.