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Maldives national football team facts for kids

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Maldives
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Sea, Red Snappers
Association Football Association of Maldives (FAM)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach Francesco Moriero
Captain Akram Abdul Ghanee
Most caps Imran Mohamed (109)
Top scorer Ali Ashfaq (57)
Home stadium National Football Stadium
FIFA code MDV
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 152 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 124 (July–August 2006)
Lowest 183 (August–September 1997)
Elo ranking
Current 192 Increase 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) represents the Maldives in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Maldives. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Maldives' most significant success was winning the 2008 SAFF Championship where they beat the most successful team India in the final 1–0. They won their second local title in 2018 SAFF Championship, once again by beating India in the final.

History

South Asian Football Championship

1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup

This was the third edition of SAFF Cup which was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, and it was Maldives' first campaign in this regional tournament.

Maldives was placed in the group B with India and Bangladesh, where they advanced into the semi final as the group's second team with two points in hand. They drew their first match against Bangladesh with the help of Lirugham Saeed's only goal. In the second match, they drew against the India 2–2, in which Ibrahim Rasheed and Mohamed Nizam came scoring when the Red Snappers were at a two-goal deposit.

Maldives went on to win the semi final match 2–1 against Sri Lanka with Shah Ismail and Mohamed Nizam on the scoreline, but lost the final match to India by 5–1, where Adam Abdul Latheef scored the only goal for Maldives.

1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup

In this edition of SAFF Cup, hosted in Fatorda Stadium, Goa, India, Maldives were grouped with Nepal and Sri Lanka, where Maldives finished at the top of the group B.

First match against Sri Lanka ended as a goalless draw while they managed to win 3–2 against the Nepal. Shah Ismail, Mohamed Wildhan and Mausoom Abdul Gafoor scored the goals for Maldives in this match.

Maldives had to face the two times SAFF Cup champion India in the semi final and lost the game by 2–1, where Mohamed Wildhan scored against the Blue Tigers. Though they failed to qualify for the Final of the tournament, they claimed the bronze by defeating Nepal in the third place play-off match by 2–0. Mohamed Wildhan and Mohamed Ibrahim were the goal scorers.

Mohamed Wildhan shared the top scorer award with Nepal's Naresh Joshi, India's Baichung Bhutia and Bangladesh's Mihazur Rehman scoring three goals each in this competition.

2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup

In the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Maldives were drawn in the group B along with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

Maldives won their first match 6–0 a record win of the highest number of goals scored by a team in a single match in this tournament history against Bhutan, with Maldives' first hat-trick in the regional tournament, scored by Ali Shiham. Mohamed Nizam, Ashraf Luthfy and Ali Umar scored one goal each in this victory. Despite the 1–0 loss to Bangladesh in the second match, Maldives won their third match against Nepal and they were through into the semi final of the tournament as the group runners-up. Mohamed Nizam, Ashraf Luthfy and Ali Umar scored in their 3–2 win over Nepal.

Ibrahim Fazeel scored the only goal against Pakistan in the semi final, which helped them to reach the final for the second time. Ali Umar's only goal in the second half helped Maldives to survive until the penalty shootout in the final match against Bangladesh, but Maldives lost 5–3 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium where Ahmed Naaz, Ismail Naseem and Ibrahim Fazeel succeeded to convert it from the spot but Ashraf Luthfy failed.

2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup

In 2005, the tournament was held in Pakistan and Maldives were drawn with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka along with the host Pakistan in group A.

Maldives started their campaign by breaking their own record created in the previous edition 2003, scoring a highest number of goals by a team in a single match. They won the first match 9–1 against Afghanistan. Ibrahim Fazeel and Ahmed Thoriq both scored a hat-trick while Ali Ashfaq scored a brace and Ali Umar scored their opener. They won their second match against Sri Lanka 2–0 with goals from Ali Ashfaq and Ali Umar, while they ended at the top of the group, leaving the host Pakistan in second even after the goalless draw against them in the final group stage match.

Even though Maldives lost the semi final match against India by one goal to nil, the top scorer award was shared by three of the Maldivian players; Ibrahim hassan, Ali Ashfaq and Ahmed Thoriq scored three goals each.

2008 SAFF Championship winners

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Imran
Sobah
Jameel
Assad (C)
Saeed
Shifan
Fazeel
Mukhthar
Ismail
Ashfaq
Thoriq
2008 SAFF Championship Final starting lineup on June 14, 2008, in Sugathadasa Stadium (Colombo).

The 2008 SAFF Championship draw, which took place on 26 February 2007, placed Maldives in group A, alongside Nepal, India, and Pakistan. Maldives started with a comfortable 3–0 win over Pakistan, with the goals from Mohamed Shifan, Ahmed Thoriq and an own goal from Naveed Akram. In their second match they defeated Nepal 4–1, with two goals apiece from Ismail Mohamed and Ibrahim Fazeel. They lost their last group stage match against India, 0–1.

They advanced to the semi-finals and defeated Sri Lanka 0–1, with a brilliant goal by Ibrahim Fazeel on a pass from Ali Ashfaq. They then advanced to the final for the third time in SAFF Championship history.

In the final three minutes of full-time during the SAFF Championship final against the four time SAFF Championship Champions India, Mukhthar Naseer scored a single goal from a corner kick taken by Ali Ashfaq, winning the SAFF Championship for Maldives for the first time in their history. Maldives won the SAFF Championship by scoring nine goals and conceding two.

In 2008 SAFF Championship, Ali Ashfaq won the Best Player award. Maldives was the team who scored the most goals in this year's competition along with their rivals India. They were also the team who conceded the fewest goals in the tournament.

The SAFF Championship was Maldives first ever gold medal in Maldivian Football history, and to celebrate this memorable day the President declared that 15 June 2008 will be a public holiday. The only goal scored in the final match, by Mukhthar, was his first international goal for the Maldives national football team.

2009 SAFF Championship

Maldives were drawn with the rivals India in group A, along with Afghanistan and Nepal.

Maldives started their campaign as the defending champions, facing a 1–1 draw where The Gorkhalis did not allow the red snappers win the match with the only goal by Ahmed Thoriq. In their second match they defeated Afghanistan by 3–1 with two goals from Ali Ashfaq and one from Ahmed Thoriq. Their next match against rival India on 9 December was won by 2–0, Ahmed Thoriq and Ibrahim Fazeel scoring the goals which took them into the semi finals as group A winners, finishing the group stage ahead of India.

In the semi final, they defeated Sri Lanka with a comfortable score line of 5–1 where Ibrahim Fazeel scored two goals and Ahmed Thoriq, Ali Ashfaq and Ashad Ali scored one goal each, but they lost 3–1 to eventual winners India from a penalty shootout in the final after playing 120 minutes without seeing a goal from either sides. Ibrahim Fazeel was the only player to score in the penalty shootout for Maldives while Ahmed Thoriq, Mukhthar Naseer and Ali Ashfaq failed to convert it from the spot.

Ahmed Thoriq shared the top scorer award with Bangladesh's Enamul Haque and Sri Lanka's Channa Ediri Bandanage scoring four goals each in this competition.

This was the second time Maldives lost the SAFF Championship final in penalties, and Bangabandhu National Stadium was the venue on both occasions.

2011 SAFF Championship

The 2011 SAFF Championship hosted in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi was the tournament with Maldives' worst result. Even though Maldives managed to qualify for the semi finals as the group winner, Maldives ended their campaign with only one win, two draws and losing one game, scoring and conceding 5 goals.

Maldives were in the group B, drawn with Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. They drew 1–1 against Nepal with Ali Ashfaq's only goal and their second game against Pakistan ended goalless. Maldives finished the group stage with a 3–1 win over Bangladesh, with Ahmed Thoriq's brace and Ali Ashfaq's goal.

Maldives lost 3–1 to India in the semi final, Shamweel Qasim scoring Maldives' only goal.

2013 SAFF Championship

Maldives were drawn in the group B alongside Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

They started the group stage by renewing their record of scoring the most goals by a team in a single game; winning 10–0 against Sri Lanka. In this match, skipper Ali Ashfaq scored a double hat-trick and broke the record of India's IM Vijayan who holds the record of all-time top scorer of the tournament with 12 goals. He also made a new record of scoring the highest number of goals by a single player in a match in the tournament. Remaining goals of this match came from Assadhulla Abdulla, Hassan Adhuham, Ali Fasir and Ali Umar.

In their second match, Ali Ashfaq scored four goals and Ali Fasir scored a brace while Mohammad Umair and Ali Umar scored one goal each in the 8–2 win against Bhutan. Maldives' third match of the group stage against Afghanistan ended goalless.

However, Maldives faced India for a record fourth time in a semi final match of this competition, and never won a semi final match against them as Maldives lost 1–0 in this semi final match at the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Ali Ashfaq won the Golden Boot Award, scoring 10 goals in the competition. He now holds the record of competition's all-time top scorer with 18 goals, and the player to score the highest number of goals in one SAFF Championship; 10. India's IM Vijayan was the previous player to hold this record, scoring 6 goals in the 1997 edition.

2018 SAFF Suzuki Cup winners

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Faisal
Akram (C)
Samooh
Sifaau
Samdhooh
Nihan
Ibrahim
Fasir
Hamza
Mahudhee
Naiz
2018 SAFF Championship Final starting lineup on June 14, 2008, in Bangabandhu National Stadium (Dhaka).

Maldives was drawn in a group with Sri Lanka and India. Maldives drew with Sri Lanka at 0–0 and lost to India 2–0. Due to Maldives and Sri Lanka having accumulated the same points a coin toss was held to decide which team will advance to the semi finals against Nepal. Luck was in favor of Maldives as it won the coin toss and the match against Nepal by 3–0.

This meant that Maldives would once against compete with India in the finals. During the first half of the match Maldives player Ibrahim Mahudhee scored the opening goal and in the second half Hamza Mohamed makes an excellent threaded through pass that allowed Ali Fasir to score the second goal for Maldives. India,'s Sumeet Pass scored a consolation goal for India in extra time.

The match ended with Maldives as the victor's of the 2018 Saff Suzuki championship making them the second team in the competition to have ever won the Cup more than once. Maldives goal keeper Mohamed Faisal won the MVP award of the competition for his work between the sticks.

Asian Cup and World Cup qualifications

Maldives has never qualified for such big tournaments and often classified as a weaker team in the continent. Nonetheless, Maldives achieved several impressive results. During 2006 World Cup qualification, Maldives stunned by drawing South Korea, an Asian powerhouse, 0–0 at home; and defeating Vietnam, a rising Asian team, in the same ground with an impressive 3–0. However, its worst defeat also occurred in the World Cup qualification as they were thrashed 0–17 by Iran in Damascus during 1998 World Cup qualification.

Team image

Media coverage

All Maldives matches are broadcast with full commentary on Television Maldives and Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu Radio Live.

Home stadium

National Football Stadium (Dhivehi: ގައުމީ ފުޓުބޯޅަ ދަނޑު) is a multi-purpose stadium in Malé, Maldives. It is used mostly for football matches of the Dhivehi League, Maldives FA Cup, and International matches. The stadium holds around 11,850 spectators.

Supporters

About 11,500 Maldivian supporters, including the former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, attended to see the 2008 SAFF Championship final match in Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka. After their win, many supporters, together with ministers, gave a warm welcome to the team on their return with their first gold medal. To celebrate this memorable day the President declared that 15 June 2008 will be a public holiday.

Kits

Maldives' home kit comprises a red jersey and red shorts – red is the national colour of the Maldives, and represents the boldness of the nation's heroes.

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

Recent results and fixtures

      Win       Draw       Loss

2022

Coaching staff

Manager Italy Carlo Montazeri
Head Coach Italy Francesco Moriero
Assistant Coach Italy Giuliano Lazzari
Assistant Coach Italy Franco Simoncini
Goalkeeping coach Italy Pierangelo Santini
Fitness Coach Italy Luigi Bicentini
Technical Director Italy Aldo Maldini
Kitman Italy Cesare Brondani
Physiotherapist Italy Fabio Polesi

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
  • Hungary Temesvári Miklós (1991–93)
  • Romania Victor Stănculescu (1993–96)
  • Bolivia Rómulo Cortez (1996–97)
  • Uzbekistan Vyacheslav Solokho (1999-2001)
  • Slovakia Jozef Jankech (2001–03)
  • Portugal Manuel Gomes (2004)
  • Bulgaria Yordan Stoykov (2005–07)
  • Slovakia Jozef Jankech (2008)
  • Hungary István Urbányi (2009–10)
  • Argentina Andrés Cruciani (2010–11)
  • Hungary István Urbányi (2011–13)
  • Maldives Ali Nashid (2013–14)
  • Croatia Drago Mamić (2014)
  • Bulgaria Velizar Popov (2015)
  • Maldives Ismail Mahfooz (2015)
  • New Zealand Ricki Herbert (2015–16)
  • Maldives Ismail Mahfooz (2016)
  • Australia Darren Stewart (2016–18)
  • Croatia Petar Segrt (2018–19)
  • Netherlands Martin Koopman (2020–21)
  • Maldives Ali Suzain (2021)
  • Italy Francesco Moriero (2021–present)

Players

Current squad

  • The following players were called up for the friendly matches.
  • Match dates: 14 and 17 December 2022
  • Opposition:  Malaysia and  Singapore
  • Caps and goals correct as of: 24 September 2022, after the match against  Laos.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Iyan Abdul Aleem (1994-01-29) 29 January 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Maldives Maziya
1GK Hassan Aleef Ibrahim (2001-10-02) 2 October 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Maldives Club Eagles
1GK Hussain Shareef (1998-09-05) 5 September 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Maldives Maziya

2DF Samooh Ali (1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 (age 27) 31 1 Maldives Maziya
2DF Haisham Hassan (1999-07-21) 21 July 1999 (age 24) 16 0 Maldives Maziya
2DF Humaid Hussain (2004-10-05) 5 October 2004 (age 19) 0 0 Maldives Club Eagles
2DF Ahmed Numaan (1992-11-10) 10 November 1992 (age 31) 14 0 Maldives Club Eagles
2DF Ahmed Maish Rasheed (2004-07-11) 11 July 2004 (age 19) 0 0
2DF Hassan Shifaz (1992-08-11) 11 August 1992 (age 31) 4 0 Maldives Maziya
2DF Hussain Sifaau (1996-02-04) 4 February 1996 (age 28) 23 1 Maldives Club Eagles
2DF Mohamed Umair (1988-07-03) 3 July 1988 (age 35) 58 7 Maldives Maziya

3MF Ibrahim Aisham (1997-05-07) 7 May 1997 (age 26) 14 0 Maldives Maziya
3MF Ibrahim Aayan Imthiyaz 0 0 Maldives Valencia
3MF Ibrahim Mahudhee (1993-08-22) 22 August 1993 (age 30) 23 3 Maldives Maziya
3MF Hamza Mohamed (1995-02-17) 17 February 1995 (age 29) 45 5 Maldives Maziya
3MF Nisham Mohamed Rasheed (1999-01-31) 31 January 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Maldives TC Sports Club
3MF Hassan Sufianu (1990-01-21) 21 January 1990 (age 34) 2 0 Maldives Valencia

4FW Hassan Raif Ahmed (1998-01-30) 30 January 1998 (age 26) 8 3 Maldives Club Eagles
4FW Ali Ashfaq (1985-09-06) 6 September 1985 (age 38) 89 57 Maldives Valencia
4FW Ahmed Bassam Naeem (2001-01-17) 17 January 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Maldives TC Sports Club

Recent call-ups

The following players also received a call-up within the last twelve months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mohamed Faisal (1988-08-04) 4 August 1988 (age 35) 35 0 Maldives Valencia v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022

DF Akram Abdul Ghanee (1987-03-19) 19 March 1987 (age 37) 81 3 Maldives Maziya v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022

MF Hussain Nihan (1992-06-07) 7 June 1992 (age 31) 24 0 Maldives Maziya v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022
MF Ibrahim Waheed Hassan (1995-11-15) 15 November 1995 (age 28) 15 4 Maldives Maziya v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022
MF Abdulla Yaameen (2000-12-30) 30 December 2000 (age 23) 7 0 Maldives Valencia v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022
MF Ahmed Hassan (1995-07-06) 6 July 1995 (age 28) 1 0 Maldives New Radiant v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022

FW Ali Fasir (1988-09-04) 4 September 1988 (age 35) 69 13 Maldives Valencia v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022
FW Naiz Hassan (1996-05-10) 10 May 1996 (age 27) 39 9 Maldives Maziya v.  Sri Lanka, 14 June 2022

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Maldives.

Competitive record

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Chile 1962 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
England 1966 to Mexico 1986 Did not enter Did not enter
Italy 1990 Withdrew Withdrew
United States 1994 Did not enter Did not enter
France 1998 Did not qualify 6 0 0 6 0 59
South Korea Japan 2002 6 1 1 4 8 19
Germany 2006 8 3 1 4 18 14
South Africa 2010 2 1 0 1 2 3
Brazil 2014 2 0 0 2 0 5
Russia 2018 8 2 0 6 8 20
Qatar 2022 8 2 1 5 7 20
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined
Total 0/21 40 9 3 28 43 140

Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup Finals record AFC Asian Cup qualification
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
British Hong Kong 1956 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976
Kuwait 1980
Singapore 1984
Qatar 1988
Japan 1992 Withdrew Withdrew
United Arab Emirates 1996 Did not qualify 6 0 0 6 4 30
Lebanon 2000 6 0 0 6 2 24
China 2004 2 0 1 1 1 6
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2011 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 6
Australia 2015 AFC Challenge Cup
United Arab Emirates 2019 18 5 1 12 24 44
Qatar 2023 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/19 34 5 2 27 32 110

AFC Challenge Cup

Year AFC Challenge Cup record Qualifying record
Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 Ineligible Ineligible
India 2008 Ineligible Ineligible
Sri Lanka 2010 Did not qualify 3 2 0 1 9 5
Nepal 2012 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 5 3 2 1 0 6 1
Maldives 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
Sri Lanka 1995 Withdrew
Nepal 1997 Runners-up 4 1 2 1 6 9
India 1999 Third place 4 2 1 1 6 4
Bangladesh 2003 Runners-up 5 3 1 1 11 4
Pakistan 2005 Semi-finals 4 2 1 1 11 2
Maldives Sri Lanka 2008 Champions 5 4 0 1 8 2
Bangladesh 2009 Runners-up 5 3 2 0 11 3
India 2011 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 5 5
Nepal 2013 Semi-finals 4 2 1 1 18 3
India 2015 Semi-finals 4 2 0 2 9 9
Bangladesh 2018 Champions 4 2 1 1 5 3

Maldives 2021

Group stage 4 2 0 2 4 4
Total Best: Champions 47 24 11 12 94 48
*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
Thailand 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

Head-to-head record against other countries

See also

Kids robot.svg 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
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