| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Malaysia |
| Teams | 11 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue | 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) |
← 1980 1982 → | |
The 1981 Merdeka Tournament was held from 30 August to 20 September 1981 in Malaysia.[1][citation needed]
| 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 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2–5 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
Ali  22'Salim Khalifa 88' |
Report | Stefanus Sirey 16' (67), 83' Pattinasarany 30'Nere 90+1' |
| India | 2–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Harjinder Singh Xavier Pius |
Report |
| Japan | 3–2 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| H. Kato 18' (pen.) Hara 22'Ozaki 58' |
Report | Saim Badid 10' Ahmed Abdullah 57' |
| Japan | 0–1 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Nelson 86' |
| 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 |
| South Korea | 2–0 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Hwang Seok-keun 20' Byun Byung-joo 75' |
Report |
| Iraq | 1–1 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Aziz 60' |
Report | Byun Byung-joo 40' |
| South Korea | 1–1 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Hwang Seok-keun 58' |
Report | Chalor 25' |
| 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 | |||||
