FAM League Cup set to begin on Thursday with six teams participating

Football Association of Maldives (FAM) League Cup, a tournament scheduled outside the official football calendar, will kick off this Thursday with six teams competing.

The tournament features three teams from the first division and three teams from the second division.

The first division teams participating are:

- Maziya

- TC Sports

- Odi Sports

The second division teams participating are:

- New Radiant

- Mahibadhoo Sports

- JJ Sports

Victory, initially set to participate after returning to the first division, later withdrew from the competition.

FAM Normalization Committee member Ismail Siman said that Victory informed them they could no longer take part due to various reasons.

The tournament follows an earlier attempt to start the football season this month, which was halted by FIFA’s directive. FIFA had requested the season to begin in August, leading the normalization committee to organize a short off-season tournament instead.

FIFA has permitted the tournament to proceed without requiring club rankings, relegation, or club licensing. Additionally, FIFA has allocated USD 50,000 to cover prize money and other administrative costs.

Siman said that the tournament is scheduled to conclude by May 25, with the format to be announced soon.

The tournament’s primary objective is to offer the national team competitive experience ahead of their June match against Timor Leste in the Asian Cup qualifiers. The SAFF Championship, initially scheduled for June in Sri Lanka, has been postponed until next year.