| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Malaysia |
| Teams | 11 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | 
Iraq (1st title) |
| Runners-up |
Sao Paolo XI |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 9 |
| Goals scored | 20 (2.22 per match) |
The 1981 Merdeka Tournament was held from 30 August to 20 September 1981 in Malaysia. [1] [2]
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
Japan
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 8 | Semifinal |
| 2 | 
India
|
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | 
New Zealand
|
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 | 
United Arab Emirates
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 4 | |
| 5 | 
Indonesia
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 | |
| 6 | 
Malaysia
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [
citation needed]
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sao Paolo XI
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 8 | Semifinal |
| 2 |
Iraq
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 5 | |
| 3 | 
South Korea
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | 
Thailand
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 3 | |
| 5 | 
Singapore
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [
citation needed]
Knockout stage
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| 18 September – Kuala Lumpur | ||||||
|
Japan | 0 | |||||
| 20 September – Kuala Lumpur | ||||||
|
Iraq | 2 | |||||
|
Sao Paolo XI | 0 | |||||
| 18 September – Kuala Lumpur | ||||||
|
Iraq | 1 | |||||
|
Sao Paolo XI | 2 | |||||
|
India | 0 | |||||
Semifinals
Final
References
- ^ "Merdeka Tournament 1981". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Merdeka Cup". Football Database. Retrieved 27 November 2022.