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 Third 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 represents the Maldives in international football games. It is managed by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM). This team is part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Maldives team has had great success in the SAFF Championship. They won this important tournament in 2008 SAFF Championship, beating India 1–0 in the final. They won their second title in 2018 SAFF Championship, again defeating India.

About the Maldives Football Team

History of Success

The Maldives national football team, also known as "The Red Snappers," has grown a lot over the years. They have become a strong team in South Asian football. Their journey includes many exciting matches and big wins.

Early SAFF Championship Games

The SAFF Championship is a major tournament for South Asian teams. Maldives first joined in 1997. In the 1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup, they reached the final but lost to India. They showed great potential, drawing against strong teams like Bangladesh and India.

In 1999 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup, Maldives topped their group. They won a bronze medal after beating Nepal. This showed they were becoming a team to watch.

Big Wins and Finals

The 2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup saw Maldives make history. They won a match 6–0 against Bhutan, which was a record at the time. Ali Shiham scored the team's first hat-trick in the tournament. They reached the final again but lost to Bangladesh in a penalty shootout.

In 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup, Maldives broke their own record. They won 9–1 against Afghanistan. Ibrahim Fazeel and Ahmed Thoriq both scored three goals. They reached the semi-finals but lost to India.

Winning the SAFF Championship

The year 2008 SAFF Championship was a huge moment for Maldives. They played very well throughout the tournament. They beat Pakistan and Nepal in the group stage. In the semi-final, they defeated Sri Lanka.

In the final, Maldives faced India, a very strong team. With only three minutes left, Mukhthar Naseer scored the winning goal. This gave Maldives their first-ever SAFF Championship title! It was a historic day for Maldivian football. The team scored nine goals and only let in two during the tournament. Ali Ashfaq was named the Best Player.

More SAFF Championship Highlights

In 2009 SAFF Championship, Maldives reached the final again. They played India and the game went to a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, they lost, but they showed great skill. Ahmed Thoriq was one of the top scorers in this tournament.

The 2013 SAFF Championship was another memorable event. Maldives set a new record by winning 10–0 against Sri Lanka. Their captain, Ali Ashfaq, scored an amazing six goals in that match! He also became the tournament's all-time top scorer. Maldives reached the semi-finals but lost to India.

Second SAFF Championship Title

Maldives won the 2018 SAFF Championship (also known as the SAFF Suzuki Cup). They had a tough start, drawing with Sri Lanka and losing to India. But they won a coin toss to get into the semi-finals! They then beat Nepal 3–0.

In the final, they faced India again. Ibrahim Mahudhee scored the first goal, and Ali Fasir scored the second. Maldives won 2–1, claiming their second SAFF Championship title! Their goalkeeper, Mohamed Faisal, was named the best player of the tournament.

Recent SAFF Championship Games

Maldives hosted the 2021 SAFF Championship. They won against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but did not make it past the group stage. In the 2023 SAFF Championship, they also exited in the group stage.

Asian Cup and World Cup Journeys

Maldives has not yet qualified for big tournaments like the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup. However, they have had some impressive results. In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, they drew 0–0 with strong team South Korea. They also beat Vietnam 3–0. Their biggest loss was 0–17 to Iran in 1997.

Team Spirit and Home Ground

Media and Supporters

All Maldives national team matches are shown on Television Maldives. They are also broadcast on Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu Radio Live. The team has many passionate supporters. In 2008, about 500,000 Maldivian fans, including the former president, watched the SAFF Championship final. When the team won, they received a huge welcome back home.

Home Stadium

The team's home ground is the National Football Stadium in Malé, Maldives. It is used for many football matches, including international games. The stadium can hold about 11,850 fans.

Team Kits

The Maldives home kit is red, which is the national color. It stands for the bravery of the nation's heroes. The current home kit has a bright red jersey, dark red shorts, and bright red socks. The away kit is blue and teal. Sometimes, they use an all-white or all-dark green or all-black third kit.

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	2011–2015
Joma	2015–2019
Kelme	2019–2024
JERZIA	2025–present

Recent Matches and Schedule

This section shows the team's recent match results and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Bangladesh  v  Maldives

13 November 2024 (2024-11-13) Friendly	Bangladesh	0–1	Maldives	Dhaka, Bangladesh
18:00 BST (UTC+6)			Fasir  18'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Referee: Virendha Rai (Bhutan)

Bangladesh  v  Maldives

16 November 2024 (2024-11-16) Friendly	Bangladesh	2–1	Maldives	Dhaka, Bangladesh
18:00 BST (UTC+6)	Jony  43' Papon  90+4'		Fasir  23'	Stadium: Bashundhara Kings Arena Referee: Virendha Rai (Bhutan)

2025 Matches

India  v  Maldives

19 March 2025 Friendly	India	3–0	Maldives	Shillong, India
19:00 UTC+5:30	Bheke  34' Colaço  66' Chhetri  76'			Stadium: JLN Stadium Referee: Prajwol Chhetri (Nepal)

Philippines  v  Maldives

25 March 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Philippines	4–1	Maldives	Capas, Philippines
19:00 UTC+8	J. Tabinas  6' Kristensen  19' Schneider  77' Reyes  90+2'		Fasir  62'	Stadium: New Clark City Athletics Stadium Attendance: 3,334 Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)

Singapore  v  Maldives

5 June 2025 Friendly	Singapore	3–1	Maldives	Bishan, Singapore
	A. Adli  7' Ikhsan F.  20', 32'		A. Rizuvan  90+1' (pen)	Stadium: Bishan Stadium Referee: Razlan Joffri Ali (Malaysia)

East Timor  v  Maldives

10 June 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	East Timor	1–0	Maldives	Darwin, Australia
16:00 UTC+9:30	J. Pedro  45+1'			Stadium: Territory Rugby League Stadium Attendance: 1,048 Referee: Songkran Bunmeekiart (Thailand)

Tajikistan  v  Maldives

9 October 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Tajikistan	v	Maldives	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
--:-- UTC+6				Stadium: Pamir Stadium

Maldives  v  Tajikistan

14 October 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Maldives	v	Tajikistan	Malé, Maldives
20:00 UTC+8				Stadium: National Football Stadium

Maldives  v  Philippines

18 November 2025 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Maldives	v	Philippines	Malé, Maldives
20:00 UTC+8				Stadium: National Football Stadium

2026 Matches

Maldives  v  East Timor

31 March 2026 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Maldives	v	East Timor	Malé, Maldives
--:-- UTC+5:30				Stadium: National Football Stadium

Team Management

Coaching Staff

The team has a dedicated coaching staff to help players perform their best.

Staff
Head Coach	Ali Suzain
Assistant Coach	Ahmed Shakir Shuzair
Goalkeeping coach	Hassan Hameed
Fitness Coach	Mueena
Technical Director	Ahmed Shakir
Kitman	Ahmed Ismail
Physiotherapist	Sharafudheen
Team Manager	Shibah

Coaching History

Many coaches have led the Maldives national team over the years. Some have been from the Maldives, while others have come from different countries.

Players

Current Squad

These are the players who were part of the squad for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against the Philippines on March 25, 2025.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of March 25, 2025, after the match against the Philippines.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Hussain Shareef	(1998-09-05) 5 September 1998 (age 26)	15	0	Maziya
18	1GK	Iyan Abdul Aleem	(1994-01-29) 29 January 1994 (age 31)	8	0	Maziya
22	1GK	Mohamed Yaameen	(2005-10-08) 8 October 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Victory SC
55	1GK	aminath moosa	(2000-11-09) 9 November 2000 (age 24)	4	1204	{{{club}}}
2	2DF	Ali Samooh (Captain)	(1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 (age 29)	46	1	Maziya
4	2DF	Hussain Sifaau	(1996-02-04) 4 February 1996 (age 29)	38	1	Club Eagles
14	2DF	Haisham Hassan	(1999-07-21) 21 July 1999 (age 26)	32	0	Maziya
3	2DF	Ahmed Numaan	(1992-11-10) 10 November 1992 (age 32)	28	0	Maziya
6	2DF	Ahmed Aiham	(1998-03-23) 23 March 1998 (age 27)	5	0	Super United
10	3MF	Hamza Mohamed	(1995-02-17) 17 February 1995 (age 30)	63	7	Maziya
17	3MF	Ibrahim Mahudhee	(1993-08-22) 22 August 1993 (age 32)	41	5	Maziya
23	3MF	Hussain Nihan	(1992-07-06) 6 July 1992 (age 33)	36	1	Maziya
8	3MF	Ibrahim Aisam	(1997-05-07) 7 May 1997 (age 28)	29	2	Maziya
5	3MF	Mohamed Irufaan	(1994-07-24) 24 July 1994 (age 31)	18	0	Maziya
21	3MF	Mohamed Naim	(1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 (age 28)	13	0	Club Eagles
19	3MF	Ahmed Rizuvan	(1995-06-04) 4 June 1995 (age 30)	12	0	Club Eagles
16	3MF	Ibrahim Usamaa Majeed	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 26)	9	0	Biss Buru SC
13	3MF	Mohamed Nizam	(1994-06-11) 11 June 1994 (age 31)	9	0	Valencia
12	3MF	Nisham Mohamed Rasheed	(1999-01-31) 31 January 1999 (age 26)	3	0	TC Sports Club
7	4FW	Ali Fasir	(1988-09-04) 4 September 1988 (age 36)	75	14	Valencia
9	4FW	Naiz Hassan	(1996-05-10) 10 May 1996 (age 29)	47	10	Maziya
11	4FW	Hassan Raif Ahmed	(1998-01-30) 30 January 1998 (age 27)	17	3	Club Eagles
15	4FW	Hassan Nazeem	(2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 24)	8	1	Maziya
20	4FW	Muzdhan Hassan	(2006-05-04) 4 May 2006 (age 19)	4	0	Unknown

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called to the squad in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Hassan Shifaz	(1992-08-11) 11 August 1992 (age 33)	11	0	Maziya	v.  Bangladesh; 16 November 2024
FW	Abdulla Looth Ibrahim	(2005-02-08) 8 February 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Maziya	v.  Bangladesh; 16 November 2024

Player Records

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

Most Appearances

Imran Mohamed is Maldives most capped player with 110 caps

Top Goalscorers

Ali Ashfaq is Maldives top-scorer with 58 goals

Competitive Records

This section shows how the Maldives national football team has performed in major tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

Maldives has not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They have participated in the qualification rounds.

FIFA World Cup										Qualification
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	F	A		Pld	W	D	L	F	A
1930	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
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	–	0/8	–	–	–	–	–	–		42	9	4	29	45	143

AFC Asian Cup

Maldives has not yet qualified for the 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	3
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	134

AFC Challenge Cup

Maldives finished third in the 2014 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

SAFF Championship

Maldives has won the SAFF Championship twice.

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

The Maldives team has participated in the 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

Maldives has won a silver and a bronze medal at the 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

Head-to-head Records

This table shows the Maldives national team's record against other countries they have played.

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD  Afghanistan 6 2 2 2 14 7 +6  Bahrain 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4  Bangladesh 20 7 6 7 27 30 –3  Bhutan 6 6 0 0 27 6 +29  Cambodia 4 3 1 0 14 3 +32  China 3 0 0 3 1 14 −13  Comoros 3 0 2 1 5 6 −1  Hong Kong 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3  India 17 2 2 13 0 13 −26  Indonesia 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10  Iran 6 0 0 6 0 42 −42  Kyrgyzstan 4 2 0 2 4 10 −6  Malaysia 6 1 0 5 2 14 –12  Mauritius 1 0 1 0 1 1 0  Mongolia 2 2 0 0 13 0 +13  Myanmar 4 0 0 4 4 12 −8    Nepal 12 7 2 3 19 14 +5  Oman 9 0 0 9 3 26 −23  Pakistan 9 3 3 3 9 9 0  Palestine 4 0 1 3 1 13 −12  Philippines 4 1 0 3 6 11 −5  Qatar 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9  Réunion 2 0 0 2 0 18 −18  Seychelles 7 3 0 4 10 21 −11  Singapore 7 0 0 7 5 23 −18  South Korea 2 0 1 1 0 2 –2  Sri Lanka 16 8 6 2 31 15 +16  Syria 5 1 0 4 4 35 −31  Tajikistan 3 0 1 2 0 5 −5  Thailand 3 0 0 3 0 19 −19  Turkmenistan 2 0 0 2 2 6 −4  Vietnam 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1  Yemen 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 Total 173 45 27 101 207 463 –256

Awards and Honours

The Maldives national football team has won several awards and honors.

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

Other Awards

• SAFF Championship Fair Play Award (2): 2015, 2021

Summary of Honours

These are the official honors recognized by FIFA or related football organizations.

Senior Competition				Total
AFC Challenge Cup	0	0	1	1
Total	0	0	1	1

Images for kids

• 

  President Abdulla Yameen attending the training session of Maldives national team, ahead of their World Cup qualifying match against Qatar.

• 

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

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