Last night, the Laamu Atoll Council signed off on being the starting point of the 90 Plus Gold Cup 2025 Qualifying Round.
90 Plus has decided that this years tournament would have 28 teams competing for the Gold Cup. 18 teams out of the 28 will be decided via qualifying stages within the atolls. The teams that win the qualifying rounds will be able to participate in the Gold Cup.
Laamu Atoll will be the first atoll conducting the qualifying round. The qualifying round will be held within the atoll;s yearly Laamaseelu Laamu Football Tournament. The winner of the tournament will be Laamu Atoll's chosen champion to qualify for the Gold Cup.
10 teams have been confirmed for the Gold Cup tournament thus far. The top 8 teams in last year's Gold Cup, along with the respective footballs team from Kulhudhuffushi City and Thinadhoo City. These two cities did not play in last year's tournament and so they have been included this year on an invitation basis.
The top 8 teams that qualified for this year's Gold Cup are:
1. B. Eydhafushi (Champions)
2. Addu (Runner-up)
3. Male', R. Alifushi, Fuvahmulah, K. Guraidhoo, Lh. Naifaru, K. Maafushi (Semi-finalists)
Gold Cup 2025 Format
- Total of 28 teams
- Last years top 8 teams qualify automatically
- Kulhudhuffushi City and Thinadhoo City playing via invitation basis
- Remaining 18 slots to be filled via qualifying stages in the atolls
The 28 teams will be split into 7 groups, with each group having four teams. Only 16 teams will make it into the second round. The top two teams in each group will automatically move forward into the second round. The rest of the slots are for the teams that are third in their respective group, of which only two of those teams that have the best scores will go to the next round.
The Gold Cup will stretch out over a 35 day period with a total of 42 matches being played.
The Gold Cup is set to take place during year's end, as per 90 Plus's aim. They said the starting date will be decided via FAM's public football calendar and that an announcement ceremony will also take place.
