Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim (Jawi: تونكو إسماعيل ابن سلطان إبراهيم; né Tunku Ismail Idris Abdul Majid Abu Bakar Iskandar ibni Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, born 30 June 1984) is the heir apparent to the Johor throne. He is the Regent (Pemangku Sultan) and Crown Prince (Tunku Mahkota) of Johor, and the eldest son of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and Raja Zarith Sofiah. He was proclaimed Regent of Johor on 28 January 2024, days before his father acceded as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
Tunku Ismail trained at the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Army. In 2007 he led a mounted column of the 61 Cavalry regiment at India's Republic Day parade, the first foreigner to command an Indian Army unit on the occasion. He has been noted for his religious moderation. He owns the football club Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C., which in 2015 became the first Southeast Asian club to win the AFC Cup, and he was president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) from 2017 to 2018.
Tunku Ismail has been the subject of several controversies. He was accused of assault after a 2008 confrontation with members of the Negeri Sembilan royal family at a Kuala Lumpur hotel and after a 2014 incident in the players' tunnel at a Piala FA match; neither case led to charges. In 2024, a member of his security escort assaulted a deaf Grab driver in Kuala Lumpur and was fined RM1,000. He has had a long-running public dispute with Muar MP Syed Saddiq, whom he has repeatedly called a populist. In 2025, FIFA sanctioned FAM over falsified documents used to naturalise seven players whom Tunku Ismail had approved, and he rejected the ruling.
Tunku Ismail completed his early education at Sekolah Sri Utama and Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan St. Joseph in Johor Bahru. He subsequently received lower secondary education at the Australian International School in Singapore and continued with his higher secondary studies at Hale School in Perth, Western Australia, until 2002. Tunku Ismail is the eldest among six siblings. Like his father, Tunku Ismail has no tertiary (academic) qualification.
Following a family tradition of getting trained in armed forces, with his late grandfather in the Malaysian Army and father in the US Army, Tunku Ismail aspired for a career in the Indian Armed Forces. In July 2003, he enrolled as a cadet officer in the Indian Military Academy (IMA), India's premier military training school located at Dehradun. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in December 2004 and absorbed into the Indian Army. He was promoted to the rank of captain in December 2007. His father and grandfather also had trained at IMA.
Tunku Ismail was appointed Raja Muda (literally means "Younger King", but taken to mean as second heir apparent or son of the Crown Prince) on 8 April 2006 by his grandfather, the late Sultan of Johor, and placing him second in line to the throne (Now first in line after the passing of Sultan Iskandar). Tunku Ismail was appointed as the Tunku Mahkota of Johor on 28 January 2010.
The Malaysian prince is the first foreigner to lead a unit of the Indian Army in the Indian Republic Day Parade. On 26 January 2007, with a rank of captain in Indian Army, he led a mounted column of Jaipur-based 61 Cavalry regiment to salute president of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam during the Republic Day celebrations. The president himself chose Tunku Ismail to lead the unit of around 400 men of the world's only non-ceremonial horse-mounted cavalry. The parade was witnessed by chief guest of the day president of Russia Vladimir Putin and his entourage, along with other dignitaries of Indian politics and military amidst tight security. Tunku Ismail's father Tunku Ibrahim Ismail flew in from Johor Bahru on 23 January 2007 to be present at the celebrations while his son added a chapter to the history of the Indian Army.
He is noted for his religious moderation and veiled criticism of more conservative Muslims who denounced him for shaking hands with women in 2016.
On 2 December 2022, Tunku Ismail was installed as the Chancellor of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) at the first session of the university’s 22nd convocation at Dewan Sultan Ibrahim.
On 13 December 2023, Tunku Ismail was proclaimed as the Pro Chancellor of Kolej Universiti Islam Johor Sultan Ibrahim (KUIJSI) at the university's 21st convocation at the Johor Persada International Convention Centre.
A polo enthusiast, Tunku Ismail is a skilful horse rider. He was bestowed the Best in Riding award among IMA cadets between 2003 and 2004. He is also a polo player for his regiment and has won many trophies. In football, he is the owner of Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C..
The prince is also a sports car enthusiast. All of his cars are registered under the same licence plate of "TMJ", an abbreviation from the title Tunku Mahkota Johor which is also his nickname as addressed informally by Malaysians within and outside Johor.
His Royal Highness the Tunku Mahkota (Crown Prince) of Johor, Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim has been appointed as the President of Johor Football Association (PBNJ). The EGM held in Johor Bahru saw the Crown Prince appointed as the new president replacing the former, Jais Sarday. Among his plans to help bring back Johorean football to its former glory, the Crown Prince merged the Johor teams (which previously were Johor FC, MBJB and MP Muar) into only one where all of the players wear the Jengking (Scorpion) Team Jersey. .
Tunku Ismail's leadership on the club Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C also oversaw its success as the first Southeast Asian club to lift the AFC Cup in 2015.
In 2014, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) appointed the Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim as an advisor to the previous FAM president, his uncle, Sultan Abdullah of Pahang. Tunku Ismail assisted and worked hand in hand with FAM in improving the quality of football within the country, particularly with the national team as well as the junior teams.
As predicted, there were several concerns about the news, particularly with Tunku Ismail having lost the FAM presidency election to Tengku Abdullah earlier that year. Besides that, he had been extremely vocal with his criticisms on the nation's footballing body. However, the then Johor FA president was extremely optimistic about the new role, claiming that he will only be pushing for the betterment of football within the country.
He was elected as President of FAM for a short term from 2017 to 2018.
In the early hours of 24 October 2008, a confrontation occurred between members of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan royal families at a nightclub in Kuala Lumpur. The incident began when a bottle was allegedly thrown by a member of the Johor royalty at Tunku Nadzimuddin Tunku Muzaffar, a 36-year-old prince from the Negeri Sembilan royal family, and his friends. The Johor group left shortly after, while Tunku Nadzimuddin's group continued their night out.