PETALING JAYA: Will Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) get to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup?

At least, that is the big vision that has been laid out for the Southern Tigers by their chief executive officer Luis Garcia, who is currently working as a pundit in the United States at the tournament.

He is hopeful of the qualification for the Club World Cup to be expanded in four years’ time.

Speaking on the club’s ambitions, Garcia stated the directive from Regent of Johor and owner of JDT Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who has called for the club to ‘maximise their full potential’ and fly the flags of Johor and Malaysia even higher on the global stage.

“Asia’s top level demands nothing short of excellence,” Garcia said.

“We cannot afford to take our foot off the gas if JDT are to succeed on this enormous mission. But we’re fully committed not just for ourselves, but for Malaysian football as a whole.”

Since 2019, JDT have been Malaysia’s sole representative in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite.

This has directly helped raise Malaysia’s profile in Asian club football, paving the way for greater participation of other domestic clubs in continental competitions.

But Garcia believes the time has come to take things further.

“With the potential expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup to include more Asian teams, JDT must aim to regularly reach the latter stages of the ACL Elite. That’s the level required, and we want to be ready, not just to qualify, but to compete.”