Maldives team arrives in India for SAFF Championship

The Maldivian National Team is in India for the SAFF Championship football tournament.

The team was accorded a warm welcome at the Bengaluru International Airport upon arrival on Saturday evening.

The team wrapped up its camp in Japan for training, on June 14 and headed to Sri Lanka, where they stayed for three days.

Maldives is set to go head-to-head with Bhutan in its first match scheduled for June 22. The national team’s second game will be against Bangladesh, on June 25. On June 28, Maldives will go head-to-head with Lebanon.

The SAFF Championship is to be held from June 21 – July 4 in Bengaluru, India.

Maldives is placed in the same group as Lebanon, Bangladesh and Bhutan this SAFF Championship.

The next group in the tournament comprises of champion team India, Pakistan, Kuwait and Nepal.

This will mark the first SAFF Championship involving teams from outside the region, with Lebanon and Kuwait competing under a special invitation.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Maldives is the second most successful team in the SAFF Championship. This time, the team's aim is to regain the title they won in 2008 and 2018.

Maldives brought home the championship for the first time in 2008. The country also brought home the cup in the SAFF championship held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2018. That time Maldives beat India in the finals.

In preparation for the SAFF Championship, the football season was halted after three games were observed by each team in the President’s Cup and the Dhivehi Premier League (DPL).

Following these games, the national team coach, Italian national Francesco Moriero and his aides formed a squad comprising of 30 players.

A 30-player squad kicked off their training for the SAFF Championship, at Galolhu Stadium on May 21. However, the final squad comprises of 23 players, from five different clubs.