Pakistan national football team

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

Pakistan

Nickname(s)	Green Shirts; Pak Shaheens
Association	Pakistan Football Federation
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Usman Abbasi
Captain	Hassan Bashir
Most caps	Jaffar Khan (43)
Top scorer	Muhammad Essa (10)
Home stadium	Punjab Stadium (10,000)
FIFA code	PAK
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	201 (April 2017)
Highest	142 (1993)
Lowest	201 (2017)
First international
Iran 3–1 Pakistan (Tehran, Iran; 27 October 1950)
Biggest win
Pakistan 9–2 Guam (Taipei City, Taiwan; 6 April 2008)
Biggest defeat
Iran 6–1 Pakistan (Tehran, Iran; 12 March 1969)
Medal record Men's Football South Asian Games 1987 Calcutta Team 1989 Islamabad Team 1991 Colombo Team 2004 Islamabad Team 2006 Colombo 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.

Pakistan contest the South Asian Football Federation Championship and South Asian Games, which alternate biennially. Pakistan won the Colombo Cup in 1952. Pakistan won the gold medals in South Asian Games 2004 Islamabad, South Asian Games 2006 Colombo and also won three bronze medals in South Asian Games 1987 Calcutta, South Asian Games 1989 Islamabad, South Asian Games 1991 Colombo.

History

Early years (1950-60)

Pakistan lost their first international 5–1 away to Iran on 6 January 1950. Two years later they entered the Colombo Cup in Ceylon, and were held to a goalless draw in the first match against India. They then beat hosts Ceylon 2–0 and a 1–0 win in their final match against Burma made them joint champions with India.

Pakistan then hosted Iran in April and drew 0–0. The following year Pakistan were runners-up in the Colombo Cup, having achieved a 6–0 win against Ceylon in Rangoon. In 1954, after again becoming runners up in the Colombo Cup, Pakistan defeated Singapore 6–2 in the Asian Games; this followed a 2–1 loss to Burma. In the final edition of the Colombo Cup, the team came second for the third year in a row to India. Pakistan failed to progress in the 1958 Asian Games after being defeated by Chinese Taipei 3–1 and a 1–1 draw to South Vietnam.

In 1959, they failed to qualify for the Asian Cup, after a 4–1 loss by Iran, 1–0 defeat to India and 2–0 loss to Israel. However, Pakistan earned their first win against India when they defeated them 1–0, and were able to reverse the score in the second match against Iran with a 4–1 victory and held Israel to a 2–2 draw.

Several months later, the Green Shirts travelled to Malaya for the Merdeka Cup. They started by beating Thailand 7–0, which still shares the Pakistani record. It was followed by a 1–0 loss to the hosts Malaya, then a 3–1 victory over Japan and finally a 4–0 defeat to Indonesia. Pakistan returned to the Merdeka Cup two years later and this time reached the final against Indonesia, but succumbed to 2–1 defeat.

Late 1960s and early 1970s

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 friendly tournament, in which they had a 2–1 win against Iraq and a record 9–1 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. They also lost 8–0 to Kenya in Riyadh Saudi Arabia's Arabi tournament

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 to 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. The next year they failed to qualify for another Asian Cup after defeats in both qualifiers, after a World Cup qualifying campaign in 1993 where in one game they lost to Iraq 8–0. 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 trounced Bhutan 7–0 in their last game, but it was all for nothing, as the best team in the tournament according to the locals exited even before the semi-finals.

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–present

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 returning, 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 horrendous own-goal from Aquib Riaz. 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.

In 2014, Pakistan played a 2 match friendly series with India. All matches were played at Bangalore Stadium in India. Pakistan beat India 1–0 in the first friendly, leading the series, but the also won with a 2–0 win in the second friendly, winning the series but winning on aggregate with a score of 3–0.

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, eliminating Pakistan from the tournament with an aggregate score of 3–1 in favor of Yemen.

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 time of 2003 this had largely settled down to having Punjab Stadium as the primary venue, with Jinnah Sports 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 when he surged Pakistan ahead against India in June 2005.

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. 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 Adidas.

Players and management

Current squad

The following players are in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC).

• Rehman Ali
• Saqib Hanif
• Nabil Aslam
• Mohammad Ahmed
• Muhammad Bilal
• Ahsanullah Khan
• Mohd Zaiza Zainal Abidin
• Mohsin Ali
• Muhammad Riaz
• Bilalwal-ur-Rehman
• Mahmood Khan
• Saddam Hussain
• Saadullah Khan
• Muhammad Adil
• Naveed Ahmed
• Muhammad Ali
• Kaleemullah Khan
• Hassan Bashir (Captain)
• Mansoor Khan
• Habib-ur-Rehman

Current staff

Current Coaching staff of Pakistan football team.

Position	Name
Head coach	Usman Abbasi
Assistant coach	Tanveer Ahmed, Hassan Baloch
Goalkeeping coach	Aslam Khan
Physiotherapist	Dr Kamra Mehdi
Business manager	Asghar Anjum

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
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

Source:www.fifa.com

Tournament records

Team performance

TBD (to be determined), TNQ (did not qualify), DNP (did not participate)

South Asian Games
Year	Host country	Position
1984	Nepal	DNP
1985	Bangladesh	DNP
1987	India	3rd
1989	Pakistan	3rd
1991	Sri Lanka	3rd
1993	Bangladesh	DNP
1995	India	DNP
1999	Nepal	DNP
2004	Pakistan	1st
2006	Sri Lanka	1st
2010	Bangladesh	DNP
2016	India	DNP
2018	Nepal	TBD

AFC Challenge Cup
Year	Host country	Position
2006	Bangladesh	Round-1
2008	India	DNQ
2010	Sri Lanka	DNQ
2012	Nepal	DNQ
2014	Maldives	DNQ

SAFF Championship
Year	Host country	Position
1993	Pakistan	4th
1995	Sri Lanka	Round-1
1997	Nepal	3rd
1999	India	Round-1
2003	Bangladesh	4th
2005	Pakistan	Semi-Finalist
2008	Maldives, Sri Lanka	Round-1
2009	Bangladesh	Round-1
2011	India	Round-1
2013	Nepal	Round-1
2015	India	DNP
2017	Bangladesh	TBD

ECO Cup
Year	Host country	Position
1965	Iran	3rd
1967	East Pakistan	3rd
1969	Turkey	3rd
1970	Iran	3rd
1974	Pakistan	3rd
1993	Iran	Round-1

Colombo Cup
Year	Host country	Position
1952	Ceylon	1st
1953	Burma	2nd
1954	India	2nd
1955	East Pakistan	2nd

Philippine Peace Cup
Year	Host country	Position
2012	Manila	DNP
2013	Philippines	3rd
2014	Manila	DNP

Pestabola Merdeka
Year	Host country	Position
1957	Malaya	DNP
1958	Malaya	DNP
1959	Malaya	DNP
1960	Malaya	Semi-Finalist
1961	Malaya	DNP
1962	Malaysia	2nd
1963	Malaysia	DNP
1964	Malaysia	DNP
1965	Malaysia	DNP
1966	Malaysia	DNP
1967	Malaysia	DNP
1968	Malaysia	DNP
1969	Malaysia	DNP
1970	Malaysia	DNP
1971	Malaysia	DNP
1972	Malaysia	DNP
1973	Malaysia	DNP
1974	Malaysia	DNP
1975	Malaysia	DNP
1976	Malaysia	DNP
1977	Malaysia	DNP
1978	Malaysia	DNP
1979	Malaysia	DNP
1980	Malaysia	DNP
1981	Malaysia	DNP
1982	Malaysia	DNP
1983	Malaysia	DNP
1984	Malaysia	DNP
1985	Malaysia	DNP
1986	Malaysia	DNP
1987	Malaysia	DNP
1988	Malaysia	DNP
1991	Malaysia	DNP
1992	Malaysia	DNP
1993	Malaysia	DNP
1994	Malaysia	DNP
1995	Malaysia	DNP
2000	Malaysia	DNP
2001	Malaysia	DNP
2006	Malaysia	DNP
2007	Malaysia	DNP
2008	Malaysia	DNP
2013	Malaysia	DNP

FIFA World Cup
Year	Host country	Position
1930	Uruguay	DNP
1934	Italy	DNP
1938	France	DNP
1950	Brazil	DNQ
1954	Switzerland	DNQ
1958	Sweden	DNQ
1962	Chile	DNQ
1966	England	DNQ
1970	Mexico	DNQ
1974	West Germany	DNQ
1978	Argentina	DNQ
1982	Spain	DNQ
1986	Mexico	DNQ
1990	Italy	DNQ
1994	United States	DNQ
1998	France	DNQ
2002	South Korea & Japan	DNQ
2006	Germany	DNQ
2010	South Africa	DNQ
2014	Brazil	DNQ
2018	Russia	DNQ
2022	Qatar	TBD

Asia Cup
Year	Host country	Position
1956	Hong Kong	DNP
1960	South Korea	DNQ
1964	Israel	DNP
1968	Iran	DNQ
1972	Thailand	DNQ
1976	Iran	DNP
1980	Kuwait	DNQ
1984	Singapore	DNQ
1988	Qatar	DNQ
1990	Japan	DNQ
1994	United Arab Emirates	DNQ
1998	Lebanon	DNQ
2002	China	DNQ
2007	Indonesia, Malaysia Thailand Vietnam	DNQ
2011	Qatar	DNQ
2015	Australia	DNQ
2019	United Arab Emirates	DNQ

Honours

Regional

• SAFF Championship

Third Place (1): 1997

Semi Finalist (1): 2005*

• RCD/ECO Cup

Third Place (5): 1965, 1967*, 1969, 1970, 1974*

• Colombo Cup

Champions (1): 1952 (Joint)

Runners-Up (3): 1953, 1954, 1955*

Other

• Merdeka Cup

Runners-Up (1): 1962

Fourth Place (1): 1960

• Philippine Peace Cup

Third Place (1): 2013

See also

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

External links

• Pakistani Football Association
• FPDC