| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Malaya |
| Dates | 31 August – 7 September |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | 23x15px Hong Kong (1st title) |
| Runners-up | 23x15px Indonesia |
| Third place | 23x15px Malaya |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 25 (4.17 per match) |
The first edition of the Merdeka Tournament was held in August and September 1957 in Malaya (now Malaysia). It was won by Hong Kong with most of the team being from the Eastern Sports Club, which the football club was playing friendly matches in the Asia-Pacific. Singapore won a consolation tournament for teams that did not qualify for the final round.
First round
A series of knockout ties was held to determine which teams would compete in the second round. The match between South Vietnam and Singapore required a replay as the score was level at the end of the first match.
Second round
The winning teams from the first round played a series of matches against one another. The team finishing top of the group was the tournament winner.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23x15px Hong Kong | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 |
| 23x15px Indonesia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| 23x15px Malaya | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 |
| 23x15px Singapore | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 |
Consolation Tournament
The losing teams from the first round played a series of matches against one another as a consolation tournament. The team finishing top of the group was the winner of this tournament.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23x15px South Vietnam | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 |
| 23x15px Burma | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 |
| 23x15px Thailand | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | −7 |
| 23x15px Cambodia | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 |
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