Egypt, more famous for its pyramids than hockey, will make their debut in the Azlan Shah Cup on April 3-12, while Ireland and Japan are being courted as well.
The only confirmed teams to date are India (world ranked 11th), Pakistan (eighth) New Zealand (seven), Egypt (20th) and Malaysia (15th).
"A change of guard is also expected as the Korean Hockey Federation will be holding its BGM (Biennial General Meeting) soon.
"Most of the other teams who declined were also forced to do so due to the of lack of funds, or because they had prior commitments," said MHC secretary Hashim Yusoff.
South Korea are ranked fifth in the world, and if 18th ranked Ireland accept the offer, they will be making their debut in the tournament which was incepted in 1983.
The Azlan Shah Cup used to have the best in the world, and was once dubbed as the shadow of the Champions Trophy as Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Australia and a host of other top-six teams used to scramble to secure a spot.
"We can't go below Egypt, who are ranked 20th in the world, to keep some standard in the tournament. And if Japan and Ireland both decline, we will have to make do with five teams."
The national juniors, preparing for the Junior World Cup, can't be included in the Azlan Shah cast, as they have a European Tour planned at the same time.
But some quarters feel that the juniors should be included into the Azlan Shah Cup, as the invited teams are not highly ranked, and will be good sparring partners.
The seniors, meanwhile, will be using the tournament to prepare for the Asia Cup in Dubai on May 8-15, where only the champions advance to the 2010 New Delhi World Cup.
