Sidibari
The Maldives national futsal squad for the AFC Asian Futsal Cup 2026 Qualification has been confirmed, with four players called up to the national team for the first time.
Ali Shamaal Abdhullah, Mohamed Fasir, Ahmed Rahil Rasheed, and goalkeeper Abdhullah Zimaam are the new additions to the 14-player squad.
They join Ahmed Ayaz, Saamin Mohamed Naseer, Ali Shiyah, Ismail Wajeeh, Hussain Suhail, Huzaifath Rasheed, Ishan Ibrahim, Mohamed Imran, Ali Hafiz, and goalkeeper Abdhullah Nasih.
Newly appointed head coach Ahmed Niyaz will lead the nation in two qualification matches on September 20 and 22. The national team is set to depart to Myanmar on Wednesday morning.
The Maldives is placed in Group H alongside Afghanistan and hosts Myanmar, the only qualification group with three teams. All fixtures will be played at the MFF Futsal Indoor Stadium in Yangon City.
Because of the smaller group size, a second-place finish could still secure the Maldives a spot in the final tournament. The seven best runners-up across the eight groups will advance to the finals in Jakarta, together with the group winners.
The 2026 edition will be the 18th AFC Futsal Asian Cup, hosted by Indonesia at two venues in theThe capital Jakarta.
Maldives last featured in the qualifiers in 2023, where we finished bottom of the group after defeats against Iran, Lebanon, and hosts Kyrgyzstan.
