Johor Darul Ta'zim claimed the world’s longest top-division league sequence without a defeat after extending its sequence to 109 matches with a 3-0 home victory over Kuching City. The Malaysian club reached the mark in the opening fixture of the 2026-27 Super League season as it began the defense of another domestic title.

Marcos Guilherme gave JDT the lead after 11 minutes at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium. The Brazilian winger exchanged passes with Bergson da Silva, the club’s record scorer, and placed his finish into the bottom corner. Oscar Arribas doubled the advantage 10 minutes after halftime, and Shahab Zahedi completed the scoring in the 86th minute.

The result took JDT beyond a 108-match benchmark attributed to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast between 1989 and 1994. AFP described JDT’s new total as a world record for an unbeaten top-flight league run. Coach Xisco Munoz called it a historic night after the match, which was played in front of a full home crowd.

The milestone accompanied JDT’s pursuit of a 13th consecutive Malaysian league championship. The club entered the season as the 12-time defending champion, a record of sustained domestic control that has developed over more than a decade under owner Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Prince of Johor.

Known popularly as TMJ, Tunku Ismail oversaw broad changes to the club’s sporting operation and infrastructure. Those projects included construction of the 40,000-seat Sultan Ibrahim Stadium and plans for a 39-acre training complex influenced by Real Madrid’s facilities. JDT also assembled a squad drawing on leading Malaysian players and international recruits. Pablo Aimar and Luciano Figuera were among the international names previously brought to the club. Former Liverpool and Spain player Luis Garcia was more recently appointed chief executive.

Munoz, who previously coached Watford and Sheffield Wednesday, credited the owner’s long-term investment for raising JDT’s level and widening the distance between the club and its Malaysian rivals. The coach’s assessment came after a season opener in which JDT led early, added a second goal soon after the interval and finished the contest with Zahedi’s late strike.

JDT’s achievements have not been limited to domestic competition. In 2015, the club won the tournament then known as the AFC Cup, becoming the only Southeast Asian side to capture that continental competition before its later rebranding. The 109-match claim adds an international record to a period already defined by league titles, expanded facilities and sustained investment, although the supplied evidence did not include confirmation from an independent record-keeping body.

The record-setting win therefore paired the new league benchmark with a controlled display in which three overseas players supplied the goals.