Maldives under 23 national football team has made their departure to Bahrain to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup qualifying round. The qualifying round will be carried out in Uzbekistan from 27th to 31st October.
Ali Suzayn, the team's coach, did not accompany them on their trip to Bahrain and will not be coaching them in the qualifying matches. Sabah Mohamed and Mohamed Shahid (Shaad), two assistant coaches, accompanied the team.
The under 23 squad will also play two practice matches on this trip and will fly directly from Bahrain to Uzbekistan. Before the team traveled to Bahrain, they had also camped at Lhaviyani atoll and played 6 additional matches as well.
The under 23 squad includes some names from the senior national team, including a player who made a big impact in the late SAFF Championship 2021, Haisham Hassan (Bidi). The senior football team’s second goalkeeper, Ali Naajih (Naajii) is also included in the under 23 squad.
On the 27th of October, Maldives will meet Iraq's national team in the opening match of the AFC Asian qualifying cup. On the 29th, they will meet Bahrain in their second encounter. On the 31st, the final match will be played against Afghanistan.
The competition will be divided into 11 groups, with the top team from each group qualifying, as well as four additional teams from the second-place finishers.
