NEWS DETAILS

The naming of Stadium Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Hassan Yunos in Johor Bahru as Kuching City FC’s ‘home’ venue for the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two may have raised a few questions among supporters.

But there is one important thing to know. Larkin is our alternate venue, and the door remains open for The Cats to play our home matches in Kuching.

For a club about to step onto the Asian stage for the very first time, there would be nothing more meaningful than doing it in front of our own supporters, on our own turf.

That is what Kuching City wants too.

At the moment, Stadium Taha Ariffin in Kuching is undergoing upgrading works to meet the requirements and standards set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with completion expected by the end of September.

With that process still ongoing, Kuching City is required to have an alternate venue ready as part of our preparations for this season’s ACL Two campaign.

Stadium Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Hassan Yunos, better known as Larkin Stadium was therefore nominated by the club as our alternate venue should Stadium Taha Ariffin not be ready in time.

In other words, seeing Larkin listed on the current fixture schedule does not necessarily mean Kuching City will be playing our home matches in Johor.

There is still another important step to come.

The AFC is scheduled to conduct another inspection of the Kuching venue on 10 October, ahead of The Cats’ first home fixture.

If the stadium is ready and receives the AFC's approval, Kuching City can play at home in Kuching. Should it still not meet the necessary requirements by then, Larkin will remain the alternate venue.

Participating clubs have also been made aware of the possibility of a venue change.

Following Tuesday’s group-stage draw, Kuching City's chief executive Tuan Iswandi Ali Hassan expressed his confidence that the stadium in Kuching will be ready when the time comes.

So as things stand, the story of our first Asian home night has not yet been written.

The club understands how much it means to Kuching City supporters, and Sarawakians as a whole - to witness The Cats making history in Asian competition right here at home.

The players want it. The coaches want it. Everyone at the club wants it too.

But preparing Kuching City for competition at this level also means preparing for every possibility. Naming an alternate venue does not mean turning our backs on Kuching. It simply ensures that the club’s participation and preparations remain on track should the upgrading works take longer than anticipated.

For now, we wait for the works to be completed and for the AFC to carry out its next inspection.

The hope remains that when our first Asian home night finally arrives, The Cats will truly be home.