The captain of the Maldives national football team, Samooh Ali, has stated that the new players included in the squad for the upcoming two international matches are an encouragement for the whole team. Speaking to “PSM News” after the training sessions held at the Galolhu Stadium in preparation for the AFC Asian Cup qualifying match and the upcoming Singapore match, the national captain said that Aiham, Eenaz, and Haisam had shown excellent performances in the recently concluded FAM League Cup. He added that the inclusion of these players in the squad would benefit the entire team. He also mentioned that going into the two upcoming international matches with these players, along with their League Cup experience, is a great satisfaction for the whole team.
Samooh said that the hope for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifying match is to win, and he is satisfied with the ongoing preparations for the match. “The practices are going very well. I’m satisfied with how the training is progressing. The hope is to win,” Samooh said. The three new players included in the national team squad for the upcoming two matches are TC Sports Club defender Hassan Eenaz, Odds Sports Club defender Ahmed Aiham, and the club’s midfielder Haisam Rasheed. Removed from the previous squad are forward Ibrahim Mahudhee (Feydhoo Ibbe), midfielder Nizam Mohamed Rasheed (Pogba), and defender Mohamed Nizam.
In the Asian Cup qualifiers, the Maldives played their first away match against the Philippines on March 25th. The Philippines won that match with a score of 4-1. After the away match against Timor-Leste on June 10th, the next match will be on October 9th when the Maldives meets Tajikistan. The home match between the Maldives and Tajikistan will be held on October 14th at the Male’ National Football Stadium. The home match between the Maldives and the Philippines will be held in the Maldives on November 18th. And the final home match of the Asian Cup qualifiers between the Maldives and East Timor will be on March 31st.
The Asian Cup, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), is a tournament held every four years. The tournament has not been held since 2023. China was set to host the tournament in 2024. However, as it became impossible to hold the tournament in China, it has now been decided to hold the tournament in Saudi Arabia from January 7th to February 5th, 2027. 24 Asian countries will compete in this tournament.
