Pakistan to help fund Maldives cricket stadium as PCB feasibility visit planned

Pakistan will help finance an international-standard cricket stadium in Gulhifalhu, Maldives, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced, as the two countries seek to expand their cooperation in sports. The project would bring a dedicated cricket facility to a country that still has no purpose-built cricket ground with a natural grass pitch.

Speaking at a press conference on November 9, Muizzu said construction would start soon. The announcement followed his official visit to Pakistan from October 20 to 22, when the two countries signed 20 memorandums of understanding, including an agreement on closer sports cooperation.

Maldives Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness Abdulla Rafiu said land for the stadium had already been identified in Gulhifalhu. Arrangements were being made for a Pakistan Cricket Board delegation to travel to the Maldives and carry out feasibility studies before building work starts, he added.

The proposed stadium’s estimated cost and spectator capacity have not been announced. Although Muizzu said work would begin soon, a construction schedule has also yet to be disclosed.

The Maldives has held associate membership of the International Cricket Council since 2017. Despite that status, it continues to lack a dedicated ground offering a natural grass pitch.

The Gulhifalhu plan follows an earlier, unbuilt stadium proposal backed by India. In 2019, India pledged support for a cricket stadium in Hulhumalé under the previous Maldivian government, but construction never got underway.

That earlier facility was expected to hold 22,000 spectators and cost between $40 million and $45 million. Those estimates concerned the Hulhumalé proposal, rather than the newly announced stadium in Gulhifalhu.

Muizzu has also announced several other projects intended to improve sports infrastructure across the Greater Malé region. The cricket stadium forms part of the wider push to strengthen sporting facilities.

Pakistan and the Maldives also outlined a broader economic partnership on 22 October 2026, setting a goal of increasing bilateral trade from $13.9 million to $200 million within two years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged closer relations, while Muizzu described Pakistan as a trusted friend of the Maldives for 60 years.