The Pakistan national football team has made notable progress in the FIFA rankings, now standing at the 193rd position. This achievement follows a historic victory against Cambodia, marking a significant milestone for the team.
In recent months, Pakistan has demonstrated remarkable improvement, climbing 8 positions in the rankings since July.
In July, the team was ranked 201st, and this was further enhanced to 197th in the September rankings.
Remember, Pakistan beat Cambodia 1-0 to register first win in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers history in Islamabad on October 17.
Harun Hamid scored the winning goal for Pakistan in the 67th minute of the match.
The first leg of the tie between the two sides ended goalless in Cambodia.
Star forward Otis Khan didn’t feature in the second leg as well since he didn’t get clearance from FIFA.
It must be noted that Khan was barred from participating in the first leg by game’s governing body FIFA, which ruled him ineligible, despite him possessing a Pakistani passport.
Khan made his Pakistan debut against Mauritius in a friendly last June. His eligibility was based on his paternal grandfather, Kanwar Jamil Mohammed Khan, who was born in Delhi but later relocated to Pakistan following the partition in 1947, subsequently settling in Manchester.
Pakistan will now clash with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Tajikistan in Group G in round two of the qualifiers.