Maldives national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Maldives

Nickname(s)	The Sea, Red Snappers
Association	Football Association of Maldives (FAM)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach	Ali Suzain
Captain	Ali Samooh
Most caps	Imran Mohamed (110)
Top scorer	Ali Ashfaq (58)
Home stadium	National Football Stadium
FIFA code	MDV
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	152 (7 February 2019)
Highest	124 (July–August 2006)
Lowest	183 (August–September 1997)
Elo ranking
Current	192 5 (3 March 2019)
Highest	163 (23 March 2011)
Lowest	209 (13 June 2001)
First international
Seychelles 9–0 Maldives  (Saint-Pierre, Réunion; 27 August 1979)
Biggest win
Maldives 12–0 Mongolia  (Male, Maldives; 3 December 2003)
Biggest defeat
Iran 17–0 Maldives  (Damascus, Syria; 2 June 1997)
SAFF Championship
Appearances	11 (first in 1995)
Best result	Champions (2008, 2018)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 2012)
Best result	Third place (2014)
Medal record Men's football SAFF Championship Gold 2018 Bangladesh Team Gold 2008 Maldives & Sri Lanka Team Silver 2009 Bangladesh Team Silver 2003 Bangladesh Team Silver 1997 Nepal Team Bronze 1999 India Team South Asian Games Silver 1991 Colombo Team Bronze 1984 Kathmandu Team AFC Challenge Cup Bronze 2014 Maldives Team

The Maldives national football team (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭ ގައުމީ ފުޓްބޯލް ޓީމް) plays for the Maldives in international football games. It is managed by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM). The team is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Maldives team is also known as "The Sea" or "Red Snappers". Their biggest wins were in the 2008 SAFF Championship and 2018 SAFF Championship. In both finals, they beat their rivals, India.

History of Maldives Football

Playing in the SAFF Championship

The SAFF Championship is a big football tournament for teams in South Asia. Maldives has played in this tournament many times.

1997 SAFF Gold Cup

This was the third SAFF Cup, held in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was Maldives' first time playing in this regional tournament.

Maldives was in Group B with India and Bangladesh. They drew their first match against Bangladesh 1–1. In their second match, they drew 2–2 against India. This helped them reach the semi-finals.

Maldives won their semi-final match 2–1 against Sri Lanka. But they lost the final match to India by 5–1.

1999 SAFF Gold Cup

This SAFF Cup was in Goa, India. Maldives was in Group B with Nepal and Sri Lanka. They finished first in their group.

Their first match against Sri Lanka was a 0–0 draw. They won 3–2 against Nepal. Maldives then played against India in the semi-final and lost 2–1. Even though they didn't reach the final, they won the third-place match against Nepal 2–0.

One of their players, Mohamed Wildhan, was one of the top scorers in this tournament.

2003 SAFF Gold Cup

The 2003 SAFF Gold Cup was in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Maldives was in Group B with Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Maldives won their first match 6–0 against Bhutan. This was a record for the most goals scored by a team in one match in the tournament's history. Ali Shiham scored the first hat-trick for Maldives in this tournament. They lost 1–0 to Bangladesh but won 3–2 against Nepal. This sent them to the semi-finals.

Maldives won 1–0 against Pakistan in the semi-final. This meant they reached the final for the second time. In the final, they lost to Bangladesh 5–3 in a penalty shootout after the game ended 1–1.

2005 SAFF Gold Cup

In 2005, the tournament was in Pakistan. Maldives was in Group A with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

Maldives broke their own record from 2003 by scoring even more goals in a single match. They won their first game 9–1 against Afghanistan. Ibrahim Fazeel and Ahmed Thoriq both scored three goals (a hat-trick) in this game. They won their second match against Sri Lanka 2–0. They finished first in their group.

Maldives lost the semi-final match against India 1–0. However, three Maldivian players shared the top scorer award.

2008 SAFF Championship Winners

In the 2008 SAFF Championship, Maldives was in Group A with Nepal, India, and Pakistan. They started with a good 3–0 win over Pakistan. Then they beat Nepal 4–1. They lost their last group game to India 1–0.

They went to the semi-finals and beat Sri Lanka 1–0. This meant they reached the final for the third time in SAFF Championship history.

In the final, Maldives played against India, who had won the SAFF Championship four times before. With only three minutes left in the game, Mukhthar Naseer scored the winning goal from a corner kick. This goal gave Maldives their first-ever SAFF Championship title!

Maldives scored nine goals and only let in two goals in the tournament. Ali Ashfaq won the Best Player award. To celebrate this big win, the President of Maldives declared June 15, 2008, a public holiday.

2009 SAFF Championship

Maldives played against India again in Group A, along with Afghanistan and Nepal.

As the defending champions, Maldives drew their first game 1–1 against Nepal. They then beat Afghanistan 3–1. Their next match against India was a 2–0 win. This made them winners of Group A and sent them to the semi-finals.

In the semi-final, they beat Sri Lanka 5–1. But in the final, they lost to India in a penalty shootout after the game was 0–0. This was the second time Maldives lost a SAFF Championship final in a penalty shootout at the same stadium.

2011 SAFF Championship

The 2011 SAFF Championship was not the best for Maldives. They were in Group B with Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. They drew 1–1 against Nepal and 0–0 against Pakistan. Maldives won their last group game 3–1 against Bangladesh. This allowed them to reach the semi-finals as group winners.

However, Maldives lost 3–1 to India in the semi-final.

2013 SAFF Championship

Maldives at the right against Bhutan at the 2013 SAFF Championship

Maldives was in Group B with Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

They started the tournament by setting a new record! They won 10–0 against Sri Lanka. In this match, their captain Ali Ashfaq scored six goals (a double hat-trick). This broke the record for the most goals scored by a single player in one SAFF Championship match.

In their second match, Ali Ashfaq scored four goals in an 8–2 win against Bhutan. Maldives' third group match against Afghanistan was a 0–0 draw.

Maldives played against India in the semi-final for the fourth time. They lost 1–0.

Ali Ashfaq won the Golden Boot Award for scoring 10 goals in the competition. He also became the tournament's all-time top scorer with 18 goals.

2018 SAFF Suzuki Cup Winners

Maldives team lineup at the 2018 SAFF Championship Final on September 15, 2018.

Maldives was in a group with Sri Lanka and India. They drew 0–0 with Sri Lanka and lost 2–0 to India. Since Maldives and Sri Lanka had the same points, they had a coin toss to decide who would go to the semi-finals. Maldives won the coin toss! They then beat Nepal 3–0 in the semi-final.

This meant Maldives would play against India in the final again. Ibrahim Mahudhee scored the first goal for Maldives. Later, Ali Fasir scored the second goal. India scored one goal in extra time, but Maldives won the 2018 SAFF Suzuki Championship!

This made Maldives the second team to win the Cup more than once. Maldives' goalkeeper Mohamed Faisal won the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for his great performance.

2021 SAFF Championship

Ali Ashfaq (on right) playing against Bangladesh in the 2021 SAFF Championship.

Maldives hosted the 2021 SAFF Championship. They won against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, they lost to Nepal and India. This meant they did not make it to the final knockout rounds.

Asian Cup and World Cup Qualifiers

President Abdulla Yameen watching the Maldives national team practice before a World Cup qualifying match.

Maldives has never qualified for very big tournaments like the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup. However, they have had some impressive results. For example, during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Maldives drew 0–0 with South Korea, a very strong Asian team. They also beat Vietnam 3–0 in the same qualifiers.

Their biggest loss happened during the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. They lost 17–0 to Iran.

Team Information

Media Coverage

All Maldives football matches are shown live on Television Maldives and Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu Radio.

Home Stadium

The National Football Stadium is in Malé, Maldives. It is used for football matches, including games for the Dhivehi League and international matches. The stadium can hold about 11,850 fans.

Supporters

Around 11,500 Maldivian fans went to see the 2008 SAFF Championship final match in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After the team won their first gold medal, many supporters and government ministers gave them a big welcome home. The President even made June 15, 2008, a public holiday to celebrate!

Team Kits

The Maldives home kit is a red jersey and red shorts. Red is the national color of the Maldives. It stands for the bravery of the nation's heroes.

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	2011–2015
Joma	2015–2019
Kelme	2019–present

Recent Games

Here are the results of the Maldives national football team's matches in the last year.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Friendly 13 November 2024 (2024-11-13)	Bangladesh	0–1	Maldives	Dhaka, Bangladesh
18:00 BST (UTC+6)		https://www.newagebd.net/post/football/250189/fasir-punishes-wasteful-bangladesh	Fasir  18'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Referee: Virendha Rai (Bhutan)

Friendly 16 November 2024 (2024-11-16)	Bangladesh	2–1	Maldives	Dhaka, Bangladesh
18:00 BST (UTC+6)	Jony  43' Papon  90+4'	https://www.newagebd.net/post/football/250435/last-gasp-papon-propels-bangladesh	Fasir  23'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Referee: Virendha Rai (Bhutan)

Coaching Staff

This table shows the people who help coach and manage the Maldives national football team.

Manager	Abdulla Hussein
Head Coach	Ali Suzain
Assistant Coach	Moosa Ibraahiim
Assistant Coach	Saleem Irfaan
Goalkeeping coach	Faisaal Yazeed
Fitness Coach	Mahmood Ismaaiil
Technical Director	Fawaaz Shafeeq
Kitman	Nazeem Nabeel
Physiotherapist	Abdulla Hameed

Coaching History

Here is a list of all the head coaches who have led the Maldives national football team over the years.

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players on the Team

Current Squad

These are the players who were chosen for the friendly matches against Bangladesh in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of November 13, 2024, after the match against  Bangladesh.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Hussain Shareef	(1998-09-05) 5 September 1998 (age 26)	13	0	Maziya
	1GK	Iyan Abdul Aleem	(1994-01-29) 29 January 1994 (age 31)	0	0	Maziya
	1GK	Mohamed Yaameen	(2005-10-08) 8 October 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Unknown
	2DF	Ali Samooh (Captain)	(1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 (age 28)	43	1	Maziya
	2DF	Hussain Sifaau	(1996-02-04) 4 February 1996 (age 29)	37	1	Club Eagles
	2DF	Haisham Hassan	(1999-07-21) 21 July 1999 (age 25)	30	0	Maziya
	2DF	Hassan Shifaz	(1992-08-11) 11 August 1992 (age 32)	8	0	Maziya
	2DF	Ahmed Aiman	(1998-03-23) 23 March 1998 (age 27)	2	0	Super United
	2DF	Ahmed Maish Rasheed	(2004-07-11) 11 July 2004 (age 20)	0	0	T.C. Sports Club
	3MF	Hamza Mohamed	(1995-02-17) 17 February 1995 (age 30)	64	7	Maziya
	3MF	Ibrahim Mahudhee	(1993-08-22) 22 August 1993 (age 31)	39	5	Maziya
	3MF	Hussain Nihan	(1992-07-06) 6 July 1992 (age 32)	35	1	Maziya
	3MF	Mohamed Irufaan	(1994-07-24) 24 July 1994 (age 30)	17	0	Maziya
	3MF	Ahmed Rizuvan	(1995-06-04) 4 June 1995 (age 30)	12	0	Club Eagles
	3MF	Mohamed Naim	(1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 (age 28)	11	1	Club Eagles
	3MF	Nisham Mohamed Rasheed	(1999-01-31) 31 January 1999 (age 26)	0	0	TC Sports Club
	3MF	Mohamed Nizam	(1994-06-11) 11 June 1994 (age 31)	0	0	Valencia
	3MF	Ibrahim Usamaa Majeed	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Unknown
	4FW	Ali Fasir	(1988-09-04) 4 September 1988 (age 36)	75	14	Valencia
	4FW	Naiz Hassan	(1996-05-10) 10 May 1996 (age 29)	46	10	Maziya
	4FW	Hassan Raif Ahmed	(1998-01-30) 30 January 1998 (age 27)	10	3	Club Eagles
	4FW	Hassan Nazeem	(2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 24)	5	1	Maziya
	4FW	Muzdhan Hassan	(2006-05-04) 4 May 2006 (age 19)	0	0	B.G. Sports Club
	4FW	Abdulla Looth Ibrahim	(2005-02-08) 8 February 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Maziya
	4FW	Haisham Rasheed	Unknown	0	0	Unknown

Player Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for the Maldives national team.

Players in bold are still playing for Maldives.

Most Appearances

Imran Mohamed has played the most games for Maldives, with 110 appearances.

Top Goalscorers

Ali Ashfaq is the top scorer for Maldives with 58 goals.

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup										Qualification
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	F	A		Pld	W	D	L	F	A
1930 to 1962	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1966 to 1986	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1990	Withdrew									Withdrew
1994	Did not enter									Did not enter
1998	Did not qualify									6	0	0	6	0	59
2002										6	1	1	4	8	19
2006										8	3	1	4	18	14
2010										2	1	0	1	2	3
2014										2	0	0	2	0	5
2018										8	2	0	6	8	20
2022										8	2	1	5	7	20
2026										2	0	1	1	2	3
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total	–	0/10	–	–	–	–	–	–		42	9	4	29	45	143

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Finals record										AFC Asian Cup qualification
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1960
1964
1968	Did not enter									Did not enter
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992	Withdrew									Withdrew
1996	Did not qualify									6	0	0	6	4	30
2000										6	0	0	6	2	24
2004										2	0	1	1	1	6
2007	Did not enter									Did not enter
2011	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	6
2015										AFC Challenge Cup
2019										18	5	1	12	24	44
2023										11	3	1	7	8	27
2027	To be determined									To be determined
Total	–	0/19	–	–	–	–	–	–		45	8	3	34	40	137

AFC Challenge Cup

Year	AFC Challenge Cup record								Qualifying record
	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Ineligible								Ineligible
2008	Ineligible								Ineligible
2010	Did not qualify								3	2	0	1	9	5
2012	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	5		3	2	1	0	6	1
2014	Third place	5	1	2	2	7	7		Qualified as hosts
Total	Best: Third place	8	2	2	4	9	12		6	4	1	1	15	6

South Asian Football Federation Cup

SAFF Championship record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1993	Did not enter
1995	Withdrew
1997	Runners-up	4	1	2	1	6	9
1999	Third place	4	2	1	1	6	4
2003	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	11	4
2005	Semi-finals	4	2	1	1	11	2
2008	Champions	5	4	0	1	8	2
2009	Runners-up	5	3	2	0	11	3
2011	Semi-finals	4	1	2	1	5	5
2013	Semi-finals	4	2	1	1	18	3
2015	Semi-finals	4	2	0	2	9	9
2018	Champions	4	2	1	1	5	3
2021	Group stage	4	2	0	2	4	4
2023	Group stage	3	1	0	2	3	4
Total	Best: Champions	50	25	11	14	97	52

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.

***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1951-1994	did not enter
1998	-	2	0	0	2	0	7
2002–present	See Maldives national under-23 football team
Total	1/13	2	0	0	2	0	7

South Asian Games

South Asian Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1984	Third Place	3	1	0	2	1	9
1985	6th	2	0	0	2	1	11
1987	5th	2	0	0	2	0	6
1989	5th	2	0	1	1	3	4
1991	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	2	2
1993	4th	3	0	2	1	1	3
1995	5th	2	0	1	1	0	1
1999	4th	4	2	0	2	8	6
2004-present	See Maldives national under-23 football team
Total	8/13	21	5	4	12	16	42

Honours and Awards

Continental Awards

• AFC Challenge Cup
  • Third place (1): 2014

Regional Awards

• SAFF Championship
  • Champions (2): 2008, 2018
  • Runners-up (3): 1997, 2003, 2009
  • Third place (1): 1999
• South Asian Games
  • Silver medal (1): 1991
  • Bronze medal (1): 1984

Friendly Awards

• Nehru Cup
  • Third place (1): 2012

Summary of Awards

Competition				Total
AFC Challenge Cup	0	0	1	1
SAFF Championship	2	3	1	6
South Asian Games	0	1	1	2
Total	2	4	3	9

Images for kids

• 

  The flag of Maldives.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Maldivas para niños

• Maldives women's national football team
• Maldives national under-23 football team
• Maldives national football team results