Nonthaburi, Thailand: Maldives Women’s National Futsal Team marked a historic milestone on Tuesday as they played their first-ever international futsal match, taking the court at the inaugural SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
The historic debut ended in an 11–1 defeat to India at the Nonthaburi Stadium, but the occasion represented a major step forward for women’s futsal in the Maldives. Mariyam Noora etched her name into the history books by being involved in the Maldives’ first-ever international futsal goal, with her late attempt deflecting off an Indian defender into the net.
The Maldives side entered the tournament with limited preparation, having trained for just 10 days in the Maldives under local head coach Mohamed Athif.
Due to the lack of access to an indoor futsal facility at home, the team conducted their pre-tournament training on artificial turf. The players only had the opportunity to train on an indoor surface after arriving in Thailand for the championship.
India, meanwhile, produced a dominant performance to secure their first-ever international women’s futsal victory. Khushbu Saroj led the scoring with four goals (17’, 22’, 24’, 26’), while Ritika Singh (6’, 17’), Sonali Mondal (17’, 37’), and Nishka Parkash (33’, 34’) each scored twice. Mithila Ramani opened the scoring in the fourth minute, netting the first goal of the tournament.
Maldives found the scoresheet late in the match when Noora’s effort was deflected into the goal by India’s Achom Degio in the 39th minute, ensuring a historic moment despite the result.
The first-ever SAFF Futsal Championship is being hosted in Thailand, with matches played at the Nonthaburi Stadium. All seven SAFF member nations have sent both men’s and women’s teams, making the tournament a landmark event for the development of futsal in South Asia.
Elsewhere on Matchday One, Pakistan and Bhutan played out a 1–1 draw, while Sri Lanka and Nepal shared the points in a 2–2 stalemate.
