Pakistan national football team

The Pakistan national football team represents Pakistan association football in FIFA-authorised events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Pakistan's home ground is Punjab Stadium, Lahore. Pakistan became a member of FIFA in 1948 joining the Asian Football Confederation. Pakistan's national team debuted in 1950.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Pakistan women's national football team.

Pakistan

Nickname(s)	Pak Shaheen (پاک شاہین) (Pure Falcons)
Association	Pakistan Football Federation
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach	José Antonio Nogueira
Captain	Zesh Rehman
Most caps	Jaffar Khan (44)
Top scorer	Muhammad Essa (13)
Home stadium	Punjab Stadium
FIFA code	PAK
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	200 (16 July 2020)[1]
Highest	141 (February 1993)
Lowest	205 (June 2019)
First international
Iran 5–1 Pakistan  (Tehran, Iran; 27 October 1950)
Biggest win
Thailand 0–7 Pakistan  (Kuala Lampur, Malaysia; 5 August 1960)[2]  Pakistan 9–2 Guam  (Taipei, Taiwan; 6 April 2008)[3]  Pakistan 7–0 Bhutan  (Dhaka, Bangladesh; 8 December 2009)[4]
Biggest defeat
Iran 9–1 Pakistan  (Tehran, Iran; 12 March 1969)  Iraq 8–0 Pakistan  (Amman, Jordan; 28 May 1993)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2006)
Best result	Group stage (2006)
AFC Solidarity Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2020)
Best result	qualify (2020)
Medal record Men's Football South Asian Games 1987 Calcutta Team 1989 Islamabad Team 1991 Colombo Team 2004 Islamabad Team 2006 Colombo Team

Pakistan contest the South Asian Football Federation Championship and South Asian Games, which alternate biennially. Pakistan won the Colombo Cup in 1952. Pakistan has great record in South Asian Games, won four gold medals in 1989, 1991, 2004, 2006 and won one bronze medal in 1987 respectively.

Despite this prestigious record and history as one of Asia's hegemon at 1950s, so far, Pakistan has never made appearance in any major tournament outside South Asian region, in contrast to its rival India and Bangladesh although none of them have ever qualified for the World Cup, largely due to the heavy influence of cricket in Pakistan and in general, South Asia.

History

1950s – Pakistan's international debut

Pakistan made its international debut on a tour to Iran and Iraq in October 1950. Pakistan lost its first match 5–1 against Iran. Pakistan's next international outing came in the Colombo Cup where the team played its first match against India which ended in a goalless draw. During the 50s, Pakistan played internationally in the following Colombo Cup editions which were played in India in 1954, then East Pakistan in 1955, and the Asian Games in Philippines in 1954 and in Japan in 1958.

Early 1960s and 1970s

In the early 1960s, Pakistan produced one of the finest players to ever grace the field in Pakistan Football History, Abdul Ghafoor Majna was nicknamed the "Pakistani Pele" and "Black Pearl of Pakistan". Ghafoor was part of Pakistan national football team setup when it was in the top 10 teams of Asia. According to The Express Tribune, he was "the last man alive from the days when the Pakistan football team was good enough to beat USSR, UAE and China – a far cry from the state of affairs right now."[5]

It was three years before Pakistan played another competitive fixture, when they played in the first RDC Cup and finished third. In 1967, they played a series of friendlies against Saudi Arabia, all ending in draws. Later in the year Pakistan lost their Asian Cup qualifiers against Burma and Khmer and drew their final match against India. They then hosted the second RDC Cup and finished third, which included the 4–7 defeat to Turkey. In 1969, they travelled to Iran to take part in a friendly tournament, in which they had a 2–1 win against Iraq and a record 7-0 defeat by Iran.

As a result of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, East Pakistan became The People's Republic of Bangladesh and consequently the Pakistani team lost the right to call upon Bengali players. In the early 1970s the national side's participation was restricted to the RDC Cup and the 1974 Asian Games, and a single friendly against South Korea in 1978. The most notable result in this period was a 2–2 draw against Turkey.

1980–1990 (Rise and fall)

In the King's Cup in 1982, Pakistan secured a goalless draw against Indonesia, the team's first clean sheet since 1962. After a loss to Thailand, they gained a 3–2 victory versus Malaysia and although they lost a close game against China, they were able to win 1–0 in their final game against Singapore.

Pakistan hosted a friendly tournament involving Iran, Bangladesh, Oman and Nepal in 1982. The Green Shirts started off with a 2–1 over Bangladesh. They lost to Iran, but came back and beat Nepal 2–0. The last game against Oman ended nil-nil and Pakistan ended the tournament as runners-up. However, in 1984, the national team lost 4 out of 5 games in the Asian Cup qualifiers, the only victory coming against North Yemen 4–1.

The national team hosted another tournament in 1985, this time inviting North Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal. A goalless draw against the North Koreans boosted the side, and they beat Nepal 1–0. However, losses in the final two games against Bangladesh and Indonesia meant they were again runners up. In the South Asian Games, Pakistan ended fourth after losing a penalty shoot out to Nepal.

In the 1986 Asian Games, Pakistan lost all their games. However, a year later the side was more successful at the South Asian Games, winning the bronze medal match against Bangladesh 1–0. In 1988, they lost all their Asian Cup qualifiers. Pakistan made their first attempt to qualify for the World Cup in 1989. However, they were unable to win any of their matches. The national team bounced back, when several months later they took Gold at the South Asian Games, beating Bangladesh 1–0 in the final.

1990s–2003 (Decline)

Pakistan had another early exit in the Asian Games, losing all three games in 1990. In the 1991 South Asian Games, Pakistan beat the Maldives in the final 2–0 to win their second Gold. Later in the year the first SAFF Cup took place, and the national team finished fourth, but at the 1993 South Asian Games, they were unable to get past the group stage.

In 1995, Pakistan went out of the SAFF Cup group stage on goal difference. Between 1996 and 1997, the team lost all their Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying games. Pakistan came third in the 1997 SAFF Cup, thanks to a 1–0 victory over Sri Lanka in the third place playoff. The 1999 SAFF Cup saw Pakistan finish bottom of their group, and Pakistan also failed to get out of the group stage of the final South Asian Games to hold full internationals.

Pakistan were unable to win any of their 2000 Asian Cup qualifiers. The following year Pakistan achieved their first point in World Cup qualification, thanks to a hat-trick by Gohar Zaman in a 3–3 draw against Sri Lanka, but all other matches ended in defeat.

In 2002, Pakistan played in an unsuccessful four match series against Sri Lanka. At the 2003 SAFF Cup, Pakistan finished fourth, losing 2–1 in extra time to India in the third place playoff. Later in the year, Pakistan won their first Asian Cup qualifier with a 3–0 over Macao, but still were unable to qualify. They rounded off the year with defeats to Kyrgyzstan in the World Cup qualifiers.

2004–2013 (New set-up and changes)

2004 saw changes in Pakistan football, with a new administration in place by this time and a new national league up and running. A victory against India in a three match series, the final match ending 3–0 to the Greenshirts, followed, and they went on the reach the semi-finals of the 2005 SAFF Cup. They lost the semifinal against defending champion Bangladesh by 0–1 margin.

The Pakistan team lost their first two Asian Cup qualifiers in 2006, in between which they took part in the first AFC Challenge Cup 2006. They failed to get past the group stage, but beat Kyrgyzstan 1–0. Back at the Asian Cup qualifiers, they lost their remaining fixtures. In the World Cup qualifiers in 2007, they fell to a heavy defeat by the Asian champions Iraq and after the 7–0 loss, little was expected on them in the second leg. However, the Greenshirts held them to a goalless draw. In 2008, Pakistan travelled to Nepal for two friendlies before taking on the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. Although they won against Chinese Taipei 2–1 in the first match, and beat Guam in a record-equalling 9–2 win in the final match, other results, including a 7–1 defeat to Sri Lanka, saw them again fail to reach the finals.

In the SAFF Championship 2008, Pakistan failed to go beyond the group stages, losing to Maldives 3–0, India 2–1 and Nepal 4–1, which signalled the end of Akhtar Mohiuddin's tenure as head coach. After Mohiuddin's departure, Austrian-Hungarian coach George Kottan was hired and the veteran tactician took a star-studded team to the SAFF Championship 2009. Despite calling upon foreign players such as Adnan Ahmed, Shabir Khan, Amjad Iqbal, Atif Bashir and Reis Ashraf, the side were unable were defeat 1–0 by Sri Lanka, before drawing 0–0 with Bangladesh as former Manchester United star Adnan missed a late penalty to seal a win. Pakistan won against Bhutan 7–0 in their last game.

Kottan was soon sacked in February 2010, Pakistan had no senior games during the entire calendar year but saw the appointment of Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts for the U-23 Team. For the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 qualifiers in 2011, KRL FC coach Tariq Lutfi was called up once more and failed to deliver emphatically. Defeats such as the 3–0 against Turkmenistan and 3–1 against India meant that the side were already out of the qualifiers despite beating Chinese Taipei by 2–0. Later in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in July, Bangladesh thoroughly beat Pakistan 3–0 in Dhaka, before earning a 0–0 draw in Lahore a few days later.

That saw the end of Lutfi's reign, with Serbian boss Zaviša Milosavljević taking over in November 2011 right before the SAFF Championship 2011. Despite having little time to influence the team, Zavisa managed to hold Bangladesh 0–0, Maldives 0–0 and Nepal 1–1 in the India-hosted SAFF Championship 2011. However, they were unable to progress into the semi-finals and returned home.

2012's sole game was witnessed in November against Singapore, who thrashed Pakistan 4–0 at home. Pakistan then started 2013 with a bang, winning two games against Nepal with identical 1–0 margins thanks to the brilliance of Hassan Bashir. A 1–1 draw with Maldives followed, but with congested fixtures Pakistan ended up losing the last game 3–0 in Male.

2013–2017

Pakistan then played the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification in Bishkek, losing out 1–0 to Tajikistan in injury-time. Pakistan also lost 1–0 against the Kyrgyzstan after scoring in the 1st minute, but with Hassan Bashir and returning Kaleemullah Pakistan comfortably beat Macau 2–0.

Pakistan played a friendly against Afghanistan in August, losing 3–0 emphatically without their foreign-based players. Coach Zaviša Milosavljević was sacked and replaced by Bahrain's Mohammad Al-Shamlan, who acted as a coaching consultant to Shahzad Anwar in the 2013 SAFF Championship

The Shaheens played their hearts out, but were unable to defeat India and lost 1–0 after a horrendous own-goal from Samar Ishaq. Against hosts Nepal, Hassan Bashir scored an early goal, only to see 15-year-old Bimal Gharti Magar level things in injury-time. However, Pakistan beat Bangladesh 2–1 and were unlucky not to reach the semi-finals after losing out on head-to-head with India.

Pakistan did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, being eliminated by Bangladesh in the first round of the AFC qualifying section, losing the first game 3–0, but drawing 0–0 in the return game, being 3–0 as the aggregate score. Luckily due to a last minute visa issue for the qualifying team, Pakistan were put forward as the team to go to the World Cup finals. They had many injuries and made last minute changes to the team. New players such as; Lionel Onesock Oke, Shehryar Ronnie Shafiq, Abraar Bruno Rehan and Perfect Mane N’Kala, made a tremendous impact on the team. They fought hard against top teams such as Spain, Germany and Crotia in the group stages. They managed to reach the semi finals, against France, however were unable to succeed. A final score of 4-3 solidified France’s chances to lift the trophy and abolished the dreams of the Pakistani fans. A brace was scored by Shafiq, and the other by Oke, where these goals were assisted by Rehan and N’Kala. These four players returned back to their countries to continue with their daily lives. While Pakistan’s dreams of the World Cup trophy were shattered.

In 2014, Pakistan played a 2 match friendly series with India. All matches were played at Bangalore Stadium in India. India beat Pakistan 1–0 in the first friendly, leading the series, but Pakistan won the second match 0–2.

For Pakistan's campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, they were to face Yemen in Round 1 in the AFC qualifying section. In the first match, Pakistan lost 3-1. For the second match, Pakistan drew 0–0, Yemen eliminating Pakistan from the tournament with an aggregate score of 3–1 in favor of Yemen.[6]

FIFA Suspension

Pakistan was suspended from all football activities by FIFA on 10 October 2017.[7][8]

Post Suspension (2018 – present)

FIFA restored membership of PFF on 13 March 2018. With Asian Games approaching in August and SAFF Cup in September, Pakistan football team had very little time to prepare. PFF announced the signing of new Brazilian coach José Antonio Nogueira and started camps in Lahore. The team played friendlies in Bahrain with their premier clubs from mid of July till end of it. Pakistan lost 1, drew 1 and won 2 matches in Bahrain. Then, Pakistan national under-23 football team along with 3 senior players flew to Indonesia in mid August to take part in Asian Games. On 14 August 2018, the team played its first group game against the then runner ups of 2018 AFC U-23 Championship which resulted in a 3–0 loss. On 16 August 2018, the team faced a loss against Japan by a scoreline of 4–0. Pakistan defeated Nepal by 2–1 in their final group game which was the former's first win in Asian Games after 44 years. Pakistan expected to qualify for knockouts being 3rd in the group. However, the team fell short in terms of Goal Difference.

Pakistan senior team went to Bangladesh to take part in SAFF Cup which started in September, 2018 which was their first FIFA recognized tournament after a span of 3 years. Pakistani descent footballer Adnan Mohammad wasn't issued visa by Bengali authorities to participate in the competition. Pakistan played its first match of the event against Nepal (40 ranks higher than the former then) on 4 September 2018 which ended in a 2–1 win. This match also included Muhammad Ali's late stoppage time header to claim the winner as Pakistan got 3 crucial points. Pakistan lost its next match to hosts Bangladesh on 6 September 2018 by 1–0 after conceding a late goal. Green shirts played their final group game against Bhutan on 8 September 2018 which ended in a 3–0 win and sealed their place in semis after 13 years. Pakistan faced arch rivals India in semi final on 12 September 2018 and were ultimately knocked out by 3–1. After first half being goalless, Manvir Singh's brace and Summit Passi's header allowed the Blues to go 3–0 ahead. Hassan Bashir late consolation goal decreased the margin by 1 goal. It was a brilliant performance by Pakistani team despite returning to international football after 3 years.

Star footballer Kaleemullah Khan wasn't a part of these events due to his disputes with PFF authorities.

After SAFF Cup, Pakistan negotiated with Palestine Football Association for a friendly. It was initially reported that the match will be played in Lahore, Pakistan on 15 November 2018 but Palestine decided to host the event afterwards. Due to visa issues, Pakistan team couldn't fly to Palestine on the desired date. So, the match was played on 16 November in which Shaheens lost by 2–1. Hassan Bashir scored the only goal for Pakistan in first 30 minutes which was assisted by debutant Adnan Mohammad.

Disappointment would soon strike again as Pakistan missed out the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup on the same time, when Pakistan lost to Cambodia twice in the first round and was eliminated.

Grounds and Uniform

Stadiums

Punjab Stadium (Lahore) main entrance.

For the first fifty years of their existence, Pakistan played their home matches all around the country. They initially used cricket grounds before later moving on to football stadiums. Pakistan played at a number of different venues across the country, though by the year 2003 this had largely settled down to having Punjab Stadium as the primary venue, with Jinnah Sports Stadium And Peoples Football Stadium used on occasions where Punjab Stadium was unavailable for home matches.

The Pakistan Football Federation has its headquarters near the stadium. It recently hosted most of the matches for the AFC President's Cup 2007. Muhammad Essa was the first man to score an international goal at this venue, against India in June 2005.

Jinnah Sports Stadium is largest football stadium in Pakistan with a capacity of over 45000 and is also an international standard stadium used when Punjab stadium is unavailable. Peoples Football Stadium is the biggest stadium in Karachi and the second largest stadium in Pakistan.

Kit

The Pakistan national team's home kit has always been a green shirt and white shorts. The colours are derived from the flag of Pakistan which is a green field with a white crescent moon and five-rayed star at its centre, and a vertical white stripe at the hoist side.[9] The away shirt colour has changed several times. The national team has used white shirt with white shorts or white shirt with green shorts. Historically, white shirt with green shorts is the most often used colour combination. The kits are currently manufactured by Forward Sports. Forward Sports is the official provider of balls for FIFA World Cup 2014 and FIFA World Cup 2018,[10] the company came into prominence for landing the contract of over 3,000 "Brazuca" balls that were used at the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Bloomberg and BBC are among many news agencies that have covered the company.

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier	Period
Vision	2011–2013
Forward	2013–2015
Joshila	2018–present

Players and management

Current squad

The following 19 players have been called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification round vs Cambodia.[11]
Caps and goals are correct as of 11 June 2019 after the match against Cambodia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Yousuf Butt	(1989-10-18) 18 October 1989	19	0	AB Tårnby
22	1GK	Ahsanullah Ahmed	(1995-02-25) 25 February 1995	2	0	Sui Southern Gas
20	1GK	Muzammil Hussain	(1993-09-06) 6 September 1993	2	0	WAPDA
2	2DF	Umer Hayat	(1996-10-22) 22 October 1996	3	0	Yeni Malatyaspor
3	2DF	Abdullah Qazi	(1995-03-25)25 March 1995 (aged 23)	5	0	La Máquina
4	2DF	Yaqoob Butt	(1988-09-18) 18 September 1988	5	0	Taarnby FF
6	2DF	Zesh Rehman (Captain)	(1983-10-14) 14 October 1983	25	1	Kwoon Chung Southern
14	2DF	Ali Khan Niazi	(2000-12-14) 14 December 2000	0	0	K-Electric
17	2DF	Ali Uzair	(1996-10-14) 14 October 1996	2	0	WAPDA
8	3MF	Mehmood Khan	(1991-06-10) 10 June 1991	10	0	Khan Research Laboratories
18	3MF	Samir Nabi	(1996-12-16) 16 December 1996	2	0	Kidderminster Harriers
19	3MF	Navid Rahman	(1996-05-26) 26 May 1996	2	0	North Mississauga
23	3MF	Rahis Nabi	(1999-04-15) 15 April 1999	2	0	Alvechurch
7	4FW	Ahmed Faheem	(1994-12-04) 4 December 1994	3	1	WAPDA
9	4FW	Muhammad Ali	(1989-09-02) 2 September 1989	15	2	Greve
10	4FW	Hassan Bashir (Vice-Captain)	(1987-01-07) 7 January 1987	21	9	AB Tårnby
11	4FW	Adnan Mohammad	(1996-07-02) 2 July 1996	3	0	Lyngby
12	4FW	Tabish Hussain	(2001-06-06) 6 June 2001	2	0	Guiseley
16	4FW	Muhammad Riaz	(1996-02-27) 27 February 1996	8	2	K-Electric

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called for the national team in recent matches. In January 2020, Kaleemullah Khan made an unofficial return for Pakistan national football team.[12]

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Faheem Damsaz	(1997-02-05) 5 February 1997	0	0	Muslim	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification ^PRE
DF	Ahsan Ullah	(1992-12-13) 13 December 1992	4	0	Khan Research Laboratories	Asian Games Prep. Camp
DF	Arsalan Ali	(1998-12-28) 28 December 1998	1	0	Khan Research Laboratories	v.  Palestine, 16 November 2018
DF	Faisal Iqbal	(1992-04-08) 8 April 1992	18	0	National Bank	Asian Games Prep. Camp
DF	Mohsin Ali	(1996-06-01)1 June 1996 (aged 22)	8	0	WAPDA	2018 SAFF Championship
DF	Shahbaz Younas	(1996-03-02)2 March 1996 (aged 22)	3	0	Pakistan Army	2018 SAFF Championship
DF	Mehdi Hassan	(1999-06-20) 20 June 1999	1	0	Pakistan Airforce	v.  Palestine, 16 November 2018
DF	Waqar Ihtisham	(1996-11-20) 20 November 1996	0	0	Khan Research Laboratories	v. Felda United, 23 January 2020
MF	Naveed Ahmed	(1993-01-03)3 January 1993 (aged 25)	8	0	KRL	v.  Palestine, 16 November 2018
MF	Saddam Hussain	(1993-04-10)10 April 1993 (aged 25)	22	0	Sui Southern Gas	v.  Palestine, 16 November 2018
MF	Muhammad Waheed	(1993-10-04)4 October 1993 (aged 24)	0	0	Pakistan Civil Aviation	v. Felda United, 23 January 2020
MF	Saadullah Khan	(1994-06-04)4 June 1994 (aged 24)	7	1	Sui Southern Gas	2018 SAFF Championship
MF	Muhammad Adil	(1992-07-09)9 July 1992 (aged 26)	19	0	KRL	2018 SAFF Championship
MF	Ashfaquddin Khan	(1997-05-02) 2 May 1997	0	0	WAPDA	v. Felda United, 23 January 2020
FW	Kaleemullah Khan	(1992-09-20) 20 September 1992	26	4	Zakho	v. Felda United, 23 January 2020
FW	Mansoor Khan	(1997-02-20) 20 February 1997	8	0	Pakistan Airforce	v.  Palestine, 16 November 2018
FW	Naik Alam	(1999-06-01) 1 June 1999	0	0	PFF Tigers	2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification ^PRE

Current staff

Current Coaching staff of Pakistan football team.

Position	Name
Head Coach	José Antonio Nogueira
Assistant Coach	Mohammad Essa
Assistant Coach	Muhammad Habib
Goalkeeping Coach	Marcello Costa
Fitness Coach	Jose Beto Portella
Physiotherapist	Mohammad Adnan
Masseur	Mohammad Aslam
PFF Technical Director	Shahzad Anwar

Rivalries

Pakistan often develops football rivalry with their neighbors and those who has historical tensions, although it was not large comparing to cricket rivalry.

Pakistan's major rival is India, due to long historical tensions between two countries. Pakistan's overall result against India is negative, achieving only three victories against its neighbor while drawing six and lost 15 matches. The rivalry is less known than their own cricket and hockey rivalries, due to Pakistan's lack of success comparing to India.[13]

Pakistan's other rival is Bangladesh, and their result is also negative, though less than with India, with six wins, four draws and seven defeats. Afghanistan is also another rivalry of Pakistan, due to previous tensions and war with Taliban. Their recent meeting in 2013 ended with 3–0 victory for Afghanistan, prompted celebration and anti-Pakistan sentiment in Afghanistan.[14]

Results and fixtures

For all past match results of the national team, see the team's results page.

  Win   Draw   Loss

2018

Nepal    v  Pakistan

4 September 2018 2018 SAFF Championship G.S	Nepal	1–2	Pakistan	Dhaka, Bangladesh
16:00 UTC+6	Bimal Gharti Magar  82'	Report	Hassan Bashir  36' (pen.) Muhammad Ali  90+6'	Stadium: Bangabandhu National Stadium Referee: Mohammad Arafah (Jordan)

Bangladesh  v  Pakistan

6 September 2018 2018 SAFF Championship G.S	Bangladesh	1–0	Pakistan	Dhaka, Bangladesh
19:00 UTC+6	Topu Barman  85'	Report		Stadium: Bangabandhu National Stadium Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)

Pakistan  v  Bhutan

8 September 2018 2018 SAFF Championship G.S	Pakistan	3–0	Bhutan	Dhaka, Bangladesh
16:00 UTC+6	Mohammad Riaz  20' Hassan Bashir  29' Ahmed Faheem  90+1'	Report		Stadium: Bangabandhu National Stadium Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)

India  v  Pakistan

12 September 2018 2018 SAFF Championship S.F	India	3–1	Pakistan	Dhaka, Bangladesh
19:30 UTC+6	Manvir Singh  48', 69' Sumeet Passi  84'	Report	Muhammad Ali  88'	Stadium: Bangabandhu National Stadium Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)

Palestine  v  Pakistan

16 November 2018 Friendly	Palestine	2–1	Pakistan	Al-Ram, Palestine
15:00 UTC+2	Norambuena  36' Albadawi  78'		Bashir  16'	Stadium: Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium Referee: Imad Al-Bouji (Palestine)

Pakistan  v  Palestine

16 December 2018 Unofficial Friendly	Pakistan	0–2	Palestine	Doha, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3			Dabbagh  25' Maraaba  29'	Stadium: Grand Hamad Stadium
Note: The match Pakistan–Palestine was Non-FIFA International Friendly because this game play under behind closed-doors.

Pakistan  v  Afghanistan U23

25 December 2018 Unofficial Friendly	Pakistan	1–1	Afghanistan U23	Doha, Qatar
	Bashir  86'		Sharifi  66'

2019

Cambodia  v  Pakistan

6 June 2019 2022 FIFA WC qualification – AFC 1st Round	Cambodia	2–0	Pakistan	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
	Chanthea  81' Sokumpheak  84'	Report (AFC)		Stadium: Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium Attendance: 33,706 Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

Pakistan  v  Cambodia

11 June 2019 2022 FIFA WC qualification – AFC 1st Round	Pakistan	1–2	Cambodia	Doha, Qatar
19:00 UTC+3	Bashir  18'	Report	Sokpheng  64' Bunheing  89'	Stadium: Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

Coaches

List of head coaches of Pakistan

George Ainsley (1959–1962) Bert Trautmann (1980–1983) Burkhard Ziese (1987–1990) Various (1990–2000) Dave Burns (2000–2001) John Layton (2001–2002) Joseph Herel (2002–2003) Wang Xiaohe (2003–2004) Tariq Lutfi (2004–2005) Salman Sharida (2005–2007) Akhtar Mohiuddin (2007–2008) Shahzad Anwar (2008, caretaker) György Kottán (2009–2010) Graham Roberts (2010–2011) Tariq Lutfi (2011, caretaker) Zaviša Milosavljević (2011–2013) Shahzad Anwar (2013, caretaker) Mohammad Al-Shamlan (2013–2015) Shahzad Anwar (2015–17) José Antonio Nogueira (2018–)

Pakistan team in FIFA world ranking

1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
142	158	160	173	153	168	179	190	181	178	168	177	158	164	163	165	156	171	179	189	172	188	184	197	201	199	200	200

Source:www.fifa.com[15]

Honours and recognition

Regional South Asian Games Champions (4): 1989, 1991, 2004, 2006 Runners-Up (1): 1987 SAFF Championship Third Place (1): 1997 Semi Finalist (4): 1993, 2003, 2005, 2018 RCD/ECO Cup Third Place (5): 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1974

Friendly Colombo Cup Champions (1): 1952 Runners-Up (3): 1953, 1954, 1955 Merdeka Cup Runners-Up (1): 1962 Fourth Place (1): 1960 Philippine Peace Cup Third Place (1): 2013

Other records

• Biggest win
  • 9-2 Guam , (Taiwan, 6 April 2008)

Pakistan's all-time records

Last match updated :  Cambodia on 11 June 2019

Pakistan national football team head to head records
Opponents	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Confederation
Afghanistan	6	4	0	2	5	5	0	AFC
Bahrain	2	1	0	1	5	1	+4	AFC
Bangladesh	17	6	4	7	10	17	–7	AFC
Bhutan	3	3	0	0	12	1	+11	AFC
Brunei	1	1	0	0	6	0	+6	AFC
Cambodia	3	0	0	3	1	5	–4	AFC
China PR	9	1	2	6	8	24	–16	AFC
Chinese Taipei	5	3	1	1	7	5	+2	AFC
Guam	1	1	0	0	9	2	+7	AFC
India	24	3	6	15	18	37	–19	AFC
Indonesia	4	0	1	3	2	9	–7	AFC
Iran	15	1	1	13	11	67	–56	AFC
Iraq	9	1	1	7	6	40	–34	AFC
Israel	2	0	1	1	2	4	–2	UEFA
Japan	2	0	1	1	2	5	–3	AFC
Jordan	7	0	0	7	1	24	–23	AFC
Kazakhstan	3	0	0	3	0	14	–14	UEFA
Kenya	1	0	0	1	0	8	–8	CAF
North Korea	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	AFC
South Korea	4	0	0	4	1	24	–23	AFC
Kuwait	3	0	0	3	0	6	–6	AFC
Kyrgyzstan	4	1	0	3	1	7	–6	AFC
Lebanon	3	0	0	3	2	17	–15	AFC
Macau	3	2	1	0	7	2	+5	AFC
Malaysia	6	1	1	4	4	16	–12	AFC
Maldives	10	4	3	3	9	9	0	AFC
Moldova	1	0	0	1	0	5	–5	UEFA
Myanmar	8	3	2	3	10	13	–3	AFC
Nepal	16	7	4	5	18	17	+1	AFC
Oman	4	0	1	3	2	12	–10	AFC
Palestine	4	0	0	4	1	9	–8	AFC
Philippines	1	0	0	1	1	3	–2	AFC
Qatar	1	0	0	1	0	5	–5	AFC
Russia (inc.  Soviet Union)	1	0	0	1	0	5	–5	UEFA
Singapore	6	2	1	3	9	16	–7	AFC
Sri Lanka	20	8	4	8	28	31	–3	AFC
Tajikistan	2	0	0	2	0	3	–3	AFC
Thailand	5	1	0	4	7	16	–9	AFC
Turkey	4	0	1	3	9	16	–7	UEFA
Turkmenistan	1	0	0	1	0	3	–3	AFC
United Arab Emirates	5	0	0	5	4	17	–13	AFC
Vietnam (inc.  South Vietnam)	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	AFC
Yemen	5	1	1	3	6	12	–6	AFC
Total	230	55	39	136	123	520	-397	43 Nations

Tournament records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup								FIFA World Cup qualification
Hosts / Year	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1938	Did not exist							Did not exist
1950 to 1986	Did not enter							Did not enter
1990	Did not qualify							4	0	0	4	1	12
1994								8	0	0	8	2	36
1998								4	0	0	4	3	22
2002								6	0	1	5	5	29
2006								2	0	0	2	0	6
2010								2	0	1	1	0	7
2014								2	0	1	1	0	3
2018								2	0	1	1	1	3
2022								2	0	0	2	1	4
2026	To be determined							To be determined
Total	0/23	0	0	0	0	0		32	0	4	28	13	122

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup								AFC Asian Cup qualification
Hosts / Year	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1956	Withdrew							Withdrew
1960	Did not qualify							6	2	1	3	8	10
1964	Withdrew							Withdrew
1968	Did not qualify							3	0	1	2	1	4
1972- 1980	Withdrew							Withdrew
1984	Did not qualify							4	1	0	3	4	14
1988								4	0	0	4	1	12
1992								2	0	0	2	0	9
1996								2	0	0	2	0	7
2000								4	0	0	4	0	16
2004								2	1	0	1	3	3
2007								8	0	1	7	4	23
2011- 2015	Did not enter							Did not enter
2019	Did not qualify							2	0	1	1	1	3
2023								2	0	0	2	1	4
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0		39	4	4	31	23	105

AFC Challenge Cup

The AFC Challenge Cup was held every two years from 2006 through 2014.

AFC Challenge Cup									AFC Challenge Cup qualification record
Hosts / Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2006	Group Stage	3	1	1	1	3	4		–
2008	Did not qualify								3	2	0	1	12	10
2010									3	1	2	0	9	3
2012									3	1	0	2	3	6
2014									3	1	0	2	2	2
Total	-	3	1	1	1	3	4		12	5	2	5	26	21

AFC Solidarity Cup

AFC Solidarity Cup record
Hosts / Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA
2016	Did not enter
2020	Qualified

Asian Games

Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.

See also: Pakistan national under-23 football team

Asian Games Record
Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1951	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1954	-	2	1	0	1	7	4
1958	-	2	0	1	1	2	4
1962	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1966	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1970	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1974	-	3	1	0	2	6	13
1978	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1982	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1986	-	4	0	0	4	2	15
1990	-	3	0	0	3	1	16
1994	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1998	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
2002–present	See Pakistan national under-23 football team
Total	5/13	14	2	1	11	18	52

SAFF Championship

SAFF Championship
Year	Host country	Position
1993	Lahore, Pakistan	4th
1995	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Round-1
1997	Kathmandu, Nepal
1999	Margao, India	Round-1
2003	Dhaka, Bangladesh	4th
2005	Islamabad, Pakistan	Semi-Finalist
2008	Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka	Round-1
2009	Dhaka, Bangladesh	Round-1
2011	New Delhi, India	Round-1
2013	Kathmandu, Nepal	Round-1
2015	Kerala, India	DNP
2018	Dhaka, Bangladesh	Semi-Finalist
2020	Dhaka, Bangladesh	TBD

See also

• Pakistan national under-23 football team
• Pakistan national under-20 football team
• Pakistan national under-17 football team
• Pakistan Football Federation

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
2. FIFA.com. "Live Scores - Pakistan - Matches - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
3. FIFA.com. "Live Scores - Pakistan - Matches - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
4. FIFA.com. "Live Scores - Pakistan - Matches - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
5. "Pakistani Pele was a 'football encyclopaedia' | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
6. FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - Asia - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
7. FIFA.com (11 October 2017). "FIFA suspends the Pakistan Football Federation".
8. FIFA.com (14 March 2018). "FIFA lifts suspension of Pakistan Football Federation".
9. "Government of Pakistan: Flag description". Pakistan.gov.pk. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
10. "Russia to use Pakistan's footballs in 2018 world cup". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
11. "Pakistan announce preliminary squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Cambodia". foxsportsasia.com. Fox Sports Asia. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
12. Staff, Editorial (17 January 2020). "Pakistan squad named for Malaysia tour". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
13. https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/football/news/uneven-rivalry-1632193
14. "Afghanistan savour historic football triumph over Pakistan in Kabul". The National. United Arab Emirates. Agence France-Presse. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
15. FIFA.com. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Pakistan - Men's - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.

External links

• Pakistani Football Association
• FPDC