Johor Darul Ta’zim go 109 unbeaten and rewrite football record

Johor Darul Ta’zim lift the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup after defeating Kuching City FC 3-0 in the Charity Shield match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on August 21, 2026. — Bernama pic

First Published: Saturday, 22 Aug 2026 8:48 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) claimed a new world record for the longest unbeaten run in top-flight league football on Friday, extending their streak to 109 matches after a 3-0 win against Kuching City.

Goals from Marcos Guilherme, Oscar Arribas and Shahab Zahedi sealed the victory, allowing the 12-time defending champions to surpass the previous streak of 108 consecutive wins, set by Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas between 1989 and 1994.

“It’s a historic night,” Spanish coach Xisco Munoz, formerly of Watford and Sheffield Wednesday, said after the final whistle.

JDT claimed the record in front of a packed home crowd at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium at the 2026/27 Super League season opener to kickstart their title defence.

JDT needed only 11 minutes to take the lead through Brazilian winger Guilherme, who played a neat one-two with the club’s all-time leading goalscorer Bergson da Silva before finding the bottom corner.

The league champions continued to dominate proceedings and doubled their lead 10-minutes after the break through Spanish midfielder Arribas, before Iranian striker Shahab Zahedi confirmed the comfortable win in the 86th minute.

Based in Johor at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, JDT have become Malaysia’s most successful – and richest – club in over a decade under the stewardship of its owner and the state’s Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim.

The Malaysian royal, popularly known as “TMJ”, made sweeping changes, including building a 40,000-seat stadium and recently unveiling blueprints for a sprawling 39-acre training complex inspired by Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.

He also put together a star-studded team with the country’s best players, while also securing international names such as Argentina’s Pablo Aimar and Luciano Figuera.

Most recently, JDT appointed former Liverpool and Spanish star Luis Garcia as their chief executive officer.

Coach Munoz attributed the team’s success to the royal’s investment over the years, which has seen JDT dwarf other teams in Malaysia.

“It’s incredible how 12 years ago TMJ took this club and put it at this level, in the history of football,” he said.

Besides domestic dominance, JDT became the only Southeast Asian club to win the now-rebranded AFC Cup on the continental stage back in 2015. — AFP