FIFA President Gianni Infantino will take part in a special football match in Malé City this Friday, alongside President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, during his one-day official visit to the Maldives. Infantino is visiting on the invitation of Football Association of Maldives (FAM) President Ahmed Thoriq (Tom).
The friendly match — a key highlight of the visit — will take place at the Galolhu National Stadium from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and will be broadcast live on national television. Public Service Media (PSM) will provide full live coverage of Infantino’s visit starting from Friday morning.
The event will feature participation from sports academies, key football stakeholders, and senior officials, making it a major sporting celebration for football fans across the country.
During the visit, Infantino is also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with President Muizzu to discuss strengthening football development in the Maldives. He will also meet club leaders and industry stakeholders to gain first-hand insight into the current state of football in the country.
This will be Infantino’s first-ever visit to the Maldives, and is widely seen as a significant boost towards rebuilding Maldivian football and enhancing the governance of the Football Association of Maldives.
Infantino is expected to arrive on a private jet on Friday morning and depart the same evening. A series of special events have been planned for his visit, including youth-focused activities.
Football enthusiasts nationwide are encouraged to attend the special match at Galolhu Grounds — an event expected to bring joy and renewed hope to the local football community.
Infantino’s visit comes at a crucial time for Maldivian football, following years of setbacks and corruption scandals under former FAM President Bassam Adeel Jaleel, who is currently serving a sentence. The current FAM President, Ahmed Thoriq, elected under the oversight of the FIFA Normalization Committee, has since been leading reform efforts to restore credibility and rebuild the sport.
Thoriq recently met Infantino at FIFA Headquarters in Zurich, where the FIFA President praised his leadership and congratulated the Maldives on its recent South Asian Cup victory against Sri Lanka. Infantino reportedly expressed confidence that Thoriq’s experience as a former national player will contribute greatly to his role as FAM President.
This will mark only the second visit by a FIFA President to the Maldives — the first being Sepp Blatter’s two-day visit following the 2006 tsunami.
