Tag: Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Tuesday, named a 24-member squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers clash against Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan is set to take on Saudi Arabia at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on June 6.

The national team will have the services of former Manchester United youngster and Grimsby Town attacking midfielder Otis Khan, who will lead the team’s attack that features Mckael Abdullah, Imran Kayani, Fareed Ullah, Shayek Dost and Adeel Younas.

Notably, the captain and lead defender Easah Suliman was not named in the Pakistan squad as he is planning to perform Hajj.

Besides him, goalkeeper Adam Khan, who participated in the national team’s training camp, also failed to make a cut.

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For the unversed, Pakistan are at the bottom of Group G as they lost all four matches in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Pakistan had an unwanted start to their second-round campaign as they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat against Saudi Arabia in November, followed by a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Tajikistan at Islamabad in the same month.

The national football team then lost to Jordan 3-0 in the home leg of the qualifiers at Jinnah Stadium before they were humbled 7-0 at the Amman International Stadium.

After Saudi Arabia, Pakistan next face Tajikistan in their final group match in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Pakistan squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Goal Keepers: Yousuf Butt, Saqib Hanif, Hassan Ali

Defenders: Haseeb Khan, Mamoon Musa, Abdullah Iqbal, Abdul Rehman, Waqar Baloch, Omer Hayat, M. Saddam, M. Fazal

Midfielders: Rahis Nabi, Alamgir Ghazi, Ali Uzair, Umair Ali, Toqeer Ul Hasan, Moin Ahmed, Ali Zafar

Forwards: Otis Khan, Mckael Abdullah, Imran Kayani, Fareed Ullah, Shayek Dost and Adeel Younas

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AL AHSA: Pakistan football team’s head coach Stephen Constantine said that his team conceded goals at the wrong times, leading to them losing with a big margin of 4-0 against a dominant Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Pakistan football team were thrashed by Saudi Arabia 4-0 during the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, courtesy of Saleh Al-Shahri’s two goals in the early minutes of both halves.

“It was always going to be a difficult game for us. Considering where we were two months ago, we didn’t deserve to lose 4-0. We conceded at the start of both halves, which is probably the worst time to concede goals,” Constantine said during the post-match press conference.

“If you face a team as good as the Saudi team, you must always be focused. We have players whose primary sport is not football. Some of them do not remember the last time they played this game.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the best teams in Asia, so I asked the players to play without fear. Our chances are not easy, especially as we face strong teams, and we must prepare well for the Tajikistan match.”

This was the first time Pakistan played in the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after defeating Cambodia in the first round.

Pakistan last played against Saudi Arabia in 1978 at the latter’s home and suffered a 6-0 thrashing.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, placed in Group G, will face Jordan and Tajikistan. Each team will take on the rest of the teams twice on the basis of home and away leg.

The top two teams from the qualifying round will progress to the third round, in which 18 teams will be divided into three groups.

Whereas, the bottom two sides will advance into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Pakistan’s next FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier is scheduled against Tajikistan in Islamabad on November 21.

READ: Saudi Arabia defeat Pakistan 4-0 in World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

AL AHSA: Pakistan football team were thrashed by a dominant Saudi Arabia team 4-0 during the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium.

Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Shahri earned an early lead for the home team with a 6th-minute goal, however, the Pakistan team fought valiantly throughout the first half to not avoid further damage.

The home team dominated the second half from the start as Al-Shahri once again got his name on the scoresheet after converting a penalty in the 48th minute to extend the lead for his side.

Pakistan team showed a gutsy performance in the second half however Saudi Arabian team did not allow them to propel in the absence of the team’s defender and captain Eash Suliman.

Saudi Arabia scored two late goals to extend the margin of victory to 4-0 as Abdul Rahman Ghareeb netted in the 91st minute, followed by Abdullah Radif’s goal in the 96th minute.

It ends in defeat. #pakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #shaheens #weare26 pic.twitter.com/TzeyVd8djC

— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) November 16, 2023

This was the first time Pakistan played in the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after defeating Cambodia in the first round.

Pakistan last played against Saudi Arabia in 1978 at the latter’s home and suffered a 6-0 thrashing.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, placed in Group G, will face Jordan and Tajikistan. Each team will take on the rest of the teams twice on the basis of home and away leg.

The top two teams from the qualifying round will progress to the third round, in which 18 teams will be divided into three groups.

Whereas, the bottom two sides will advance into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Pakistan’s next FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier is scheduled against Tajikistan in Islamabad on November 21.

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AL AHSA: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) unveiled Pakistan’s lineup for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Pakistan, who will feature in the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifier, will be lead by Otis Khan while their hero of the first-round victory over Cambodia, Harun Hamid, has been benched.

Yousuf Butt will serve as the goalkeeper and will be supported by four defenders Umar Hayat, Mamoon Moosa, Abdullah Iqbal and Junaid Shah.

Pakistan’s lineup features two midfielders Alamgir Ghazi and Rahis Nabi while the skipper will lead the four-man attack, comprising Shayek Dost, Abdul Samad and Fareed Ullah.

This is how the Shaheens line up against 🇸🇦#pakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #shaheens #weare26 pic.twitter.com/mvJ801NI7V

— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) November 16, 2023

For the unversed, their highly-anticipated clash against Saudi Arabia will mark their first appearance in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers.

On the contrary, Saudi Arabia is one of the most dominant side of the continent, having played six FIFA World Cups.

The West-Asian side also upset Lionel Messi’s Argentina in last year’s World Cup.

The second-round fixture between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be played here at the Al-Fateh Stadium. The match starts at 7:30 pm local time or 9:30 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

Pakistan last played against Saudi Arabia in 1978 at the latter’s home and suffered a 6-0 thrashing.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, placed in Group G, will face Jordan and Tajikistan. Each team will take on the rest of the teams twice on the basis of home and away leg.

The top two sides will then proceed to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers.

Whereas, the bottom two sides will advance into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Pakistan head coach Stephen Constantine earlier this week acknowledged Saudi Arabia as a tough opponent but expressed his hope of doing well against them.

“There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia are a tough side and we will try to make our best effort against them,” stated Constantine.

“We had a few good days here and a week at Islamabad and hopefully we will put in our best,” he added.

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