Passport rule exclusions haunt Macau in Asian Cup

The Macau men’s football team saw their hopes of competing in the 2027 Asian Cup dashed with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Brunei on Tuesday. In front of 1,368 spectators, Brunei scored the lone goal in the 10th minute on a rebound into an empty net. Macau came close in stoppage time, but missed a one-on-one opportunity. Having won the first leg 3-0, Brunei advanced to the next round of qualifiers for the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, ending Macau’s campaign. Macau’s squad was weakened by the exclusion of five Portuguese players who did not hold Macau SAR passports. This rule sidelined key players such as captain Nicholas Torrão and midfielder Filipe Duarte.