Following the resignation of Velizar Popov as the National Team Coach, the Assistant Coach Ismail 'Imma' Mahfooz took charge and chose the squad for WCQ, which also excludes the experienced midfielder of Victory Sports Club, Ahmed Niyaz. In addition, Ali 'Dhagandey' Ashfaq who plays for Malaysia’s Polis Di-Raja Malaysia Football Association (PDRM FA) and Mohamed 'Bakaa' Arif who plays for Myanmar’s Kanbawza (KBZ) FC have been included in the squad. They had previously not received the chance to play in the recent Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) as they were denied release by their respective clubs. The squad further includes the young goalkeeper for Victory, Mohamed Jazlan, in addition to the other keepers, Mohamed Imran of TC (Trust and Care) Sports Club, Ibrahim Ifrah Areef of BG Sports Club, and Ahmed Athif of Club Valencia. Maziya Sports and Recreation Club’s Imran Mohamed, widely acknowledged as the best goalkeeper of Maldives, lost out the chance to participate due to injury. It has been confirmed that the match, which is to be held on 8 September, will not be played in Maldives' capital Malé due to the damages sustained by the National Stadium’s grass turf. The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) has proposed to play this as a home match in China, in exchange for next year’s match in China being transferred to Maldives. If China does not concede, the match will be held in a neutral stadium, and FAM is considering Sri Lanka, Dubai and Qatar. National Squad for the match against China: • Ibrahim Ifrah Areef – BG Sports Club • Ibrahim Muaz - BG Sports Club • Ismail Esa – Club Eagles • Mohamed Mujuthaz - Club Eagles • Ali Samooh – Mahibadhoo Sports Club • Mohamed Umair – Maziya • Samdhooh Mohamed – Maziya • Ahmed “ Naattey” Nashid – Maziya • Moosa Yamin – Maziya • Mohamed Irfan – Maziya • Amdhaan “Andy” Ali – Maziya • Ahmed “Aakko” Imaz – Maziya • Asadullah Abdullah – Maziya • Ahmed “Lily” Abdulla – New Radiant • Ali “Sentey” Fasir - New Radiant • Ashad “Adubarey” Ali - New Radiant • Mohamed Rasheed - New Radiant • Hamza “Hampu” Mohamed - New Radiant • Shafiu Ahmed - New Radiant • Mohamed Imran – TC • Hassan Naiz – TC • Akram Abdul Ghani – Valencia • Ahmed Athif – Valencia • Mohamed Jazlan – Victory • Mohamed “Bakaa” Arif – KBZ FC (Myanmar) • Ali “Dhagandey” Ashfaq – PDRM FA (Malaysia)