Tag: AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan football team head coach Nolberto Solano has lauded the national team and their fighting spirit following their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier clash against Afghanistan.

Pakistan ended its eight-match losing streak in a goalless draw with Afghanistan here at the Jinnah Stadium on Thursday.

Pakistan dominated throughout the match; however, Otis Khan missed a vital chance, squandering a penalty in the 65th minute, which denied them all three points at the end of the game

Green Shirts will now travel to Kuwait for the away fixture against Afghanistan on October 14. The winner of the group advances to the tournament finals in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Solano mentioned the delayed arrival and praised the players’ performance, particularly in the second half of the match.

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“First of all, I’m really pleased with the team, with all the boys. With all the small issues we had, especially with some players arriving a little late, it’s not easy,” he told reporters.

But I was very pleased with their attitude today, especially when the players came on in the second half.”

He rued the missed chance and heaped praise on players for showing determination.

“I believe we dominated the match for most parts of the game and were a very solid team. Like the players, I’m disappointed we couldn’t take all three points not just because of the missed penalty, but because we had other chances as well.

Honestly, these guys are doing their best, and I’m proud of them,” Solano continued.

“It’s not easy for these guys traveling 15, 19, or even 20 hours to arrive in Pakistan a day before the match. They didn’t have much time to train together, but I had confidence in them,” he explained.

Nolberto Solano aimed for a strong showing in Pakistan’s next away encounter against Afghanistan while mentioning the pride of players on representing their country.

“We’ll prepare in the same way. We need to check how the boys are physically and mentally after traveling from different parts of the world.

I was very impressed with most of them, especially as it was my first time seeing some of them play. We’ll build on this performance for the next match on Tuesday,” he concluded.

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ISLAMABAD: The first contingent of the Afghanistan men’s football team touched down here in the federal capital on Wednesday evening for their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers clash against Pakistan, after facing delays due to visa issues.

The match between Pakistan and Afghanistan is scheduled to be played at the Jinnah Football Stadium in Islamabad tomorrow.

Earlier, the much-anticipated clash faced uncertainty due to visa issues affecting several players.

A day earlier, Pakistan Football Federation president Mohsen Gillani stated regarding the issues.

“The players and officials who were in Afghanistan have obtained their visas to travel to Pakistan but those living abroad had to go to Afghanistan to get the required clearance,” Mohsen said.

“That process is mandatory as per the Afghanistan Football Federation’s decision of nominating the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul to issue the visas.”

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However, once the issue was highlighted, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi took notice and awarded the team special permission to travel to Pakistan.

“Issued now,” Mohsin Naqvi wrote in response to journalist Faizan Lakhani’s post, “Thank you for highlighting it,” Naqvi added.

The match will be broadcast live on A Sports, and will begin at 2 pm, with stadium gates opening at 12 noon.

For context, both Pakistan and Afghanistan are winless after losing their opening two matches in Group E against Syria and Myanmar.

Following the home leg, the Pakistan national team will travel to Kuwait for the away fixture against Afghanistan on October 14.

The winner of the group advances to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

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ISLAMABAD: The AFC Asian Cup qualifiers 2027 clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan, scheduled for October 9, is facing uncertainty as the Afghan National team has yet to receive its visas.

The match is scheduled to be played at the Jinnah Stadium of the Pakistan Sports Complex in the federal capital.

Sources privy to the matter have said that some players and officials are yet to receive their visas for the game.

Sources further informed that if visas are not issued, a visa-on-arrival option will be used, and due to the delay, the match schedule will be adjusted via a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced ticket details for the much-anticipated clash.

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The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced ticket details for Pakistan’s upcoming AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifier home fixture against Afghanistan.

The match, which will be broadcast live on A Sports, will begin at 2 pm, with stadium gates opening at 12 noon.

According to the press release, tickets will be available exclusively through Bookme.pk, with the following categories and prices: Premium Plus: Rs 4,000, Premium: Rs 1,500, and First Class: Rs 750.

Following the home leg, the Pakistan national team will travel to Kuwait for the away fixture against Afghanistan on October 14.

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The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Thursday announced a 23-member squad for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup 2026 Saudi Arabian Qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held in Cambodia.

The squad coached by Nolberto Solano includes a mix of young and experienced players.

Last month, PFF appointed Nolberto Solano as head coach of Pakistan’s football team.

The decision was taken following a vote by the PFF Executive Committee in which seven of the thirteen members voted in favour of the appointment.

Solano replaced Stephen Constantine, who famously led the Pakistan team to their first-ever victory in a World Cup qualifier in October 2023.

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For context, Pakistan will kick off its campaign in the qualifiers against Iraq on September 3, followed by a game against the host nation, Cambodia, on September 6.

The team will conclude the group stage with a match against Oman on September 9.

Pakistan Squad for U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Adam Najeeb, Hassan Ali, Umair Arooj, Haseeb Khan, Mohib Ullah, Muhammad Adeel, Ans Amin, Muhammad Haroon, Hamza Munir, Ahmed Salman, Junaid Shah, Abdul Rehman, Tufail Khan, Hayyaan Khattak, Muhammad Junaid, Ali Zafar, Adnan Justin, Mckeal Abdullah, Umair Bahader, Furqan Umer, Ali Raza, Suleman Ali, Adeel Younas

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TANGERANG REGENCY: Pakistan sealed an emphatic 2-0 victory over the hosts Indonesia in their second match of the (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers here at the Stadium Sport Centre on Wednesday.

The 157th-ranked Pakistan displayed dominance throughout the match against a higher-ranked Indonesia.

For Pakistan, Nadia Khan started the proceedings, smashing a goal in the eighth minute of the game,  followed by Suha Irani, who extended the lead with another goal in the 18th minute.

 

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Despite creating various opportunities, Indonesia was unable to capitalize and failed to score a goal.

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After suffering an 8-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei in their opening game of the Asian Cup Qualifiers, Pakistan made a strong comeback with a victory to stay alive in the tournament. This win marks Pakistan’s first since 2023, effectively ending their losing streak.

With this win, the Pakistan women’s team is set to face the Kyrgyz Republic on 5 July in their final group stage fixture.

For the unversed, Pakistan is placed in Group D alongside Chinese Taipei, host nation Indonesia, and Kyrgyz Republic. All the matches of the tournament will be played at the Sport Center Kelapa Dua Tangerang.

Pakistan Football Team Squad For Asian Cup Qualifiers

Jennah Farooki, Nisha Ashraf, Zeeyana Jivraj; Defenders: Aliya Sadiq, Layla Banaras, Maria Khan (captain), Nizalia Siddiqui, Sophia Qureshi, Amina Hanif, Azwa Chaudhry, Marsha Malik, Rameen Fareed, Sanah Mehdi, Suha Hirani,  Anmol Hira, Aqsa Mushtaq, Isra Khan, Mariam Mahmood, Nadia Khan, Zehmena Malik, Zulfia Nazir.

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TANGERANG REGENCY: Chinese Taipei thumped Pakistan to record 8-0 defeat in their opening game of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia Qualifiers here on Sunday.

The 2022 quarterfinalists and three-time Asian Cup champions, Chinese Taipei, mounted pressure on Pakistan from the start, scoring their first goal in the 13th minute of the match.

The East Asian side kept their dominance over Pakistan with another goal in the 15th minute. Pu Hsin-Hui’s slight deflection of Pakistan’s defender Maria Khan sent the ball into the nets.

Chinese Taipei extended their lead in the 17th minute when Chen Jin-Wen was given the opportunity inside the penalty area to lob the ball over Zeeyana.

Meanwhile, Pakistan only demonstrated resistance for a short time after the interval, until the opposing team scored another goal.

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The match ended disappointingly for Pakistan as the Green Shirts conceded four goals in the final five minutes, allowing Chinese Taipei to secure a convincing victory.

Pakistan will now face the hosts, Indonesia, while Chinese Taipei, in search of their second win, will face the Kyrgyz Republic on Wednesday.

For the unversed, Pakistan is placed in Group D alongside Chinese Taipei, host nation Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan. All the matches of the tournament will be played at the Sport Center Kelapa Dua Tangerang.

Pakistan Football Team Squad For Asian Cup Qualifiers

Jennah Farooki, Nisha Ashraf, Zeeyana Jivraj; Defenders: Aliya Sadiq, Layla Banaras, Maria Khan (captain), Nizalia Siddiqui, Sophia Qureshi, Amina Hanif, Azwa Chaudhry, Marsha Malik, Rameen Fareed, Sanah Mehdi, Suha Hirani,  Anmol Hira, Aqsa Mushtaq, Isra Khan, Mariam Mahmood, Nadia Khan, Zehmena Malik, Zulfia Nazir.

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Pakistan are placed in Group D with Japan, and Palestine and hosts Bahrain for the qualifiers of the AFC under-23 Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar. 

A total of 43 teams, divided into ten groups of four and one group of three, will play the Qualifiers, scheduled from September 4 to 12 later this year.

The official draw was held at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The anticipation echoes through all 4️⃣2️⃣ sides as the 2024 #AFCU23 Qualifiers Draw concludes!

📆 September 4-12, 2023

1️⃣5️⃣ spots are up for grabs. Who will join hosts 🇶🇦 Qatar in the Finals? pic.twitter.com/HCecWVo7pK

— #WAC2026 (@afcasiancup) May 25, 2023

Each group will be played at a centralized venue in a single round-robin format. The 11 group winners and four best second-placed teams will join the hosts Qatar for the showpiece event.

The U23 AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2024 will take place between April 15 and May 3 next year.

Pakistan will play the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time since 2015.

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