FOOTBALL: NEW HOPES, OLD FEARS [Dawn]

by Ayaz Khan

The Pakistan women’s football team is all set to feature in the upcoming Fifa Series, a women’s football event to be hosted in Brazil, the Ivory Coast and Thailand in March. The announcement was made in November last year by the world football body, which is expanding the Fifa Series by involving more member nations and introducing a women’s edition.

What turned the fate for the national women’s team was a meeting between Fifa supremo Gianni Infantino and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Mohsen Gilani. It paved the way for the national women’s team to participate in the series of friendly matches and face new nations across other federations.

The Pakistan women’s football team, despite an 8-0 loss against Chinese Taipei in the AFC Women’s Asia Cup qualifiers in June last year, showed some promise when they beat Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan in subsequent matches. However, the team’s lack of exposure in matches against other nations will require more focus from them on the pitch.

“We don’t have too many details about the series yet,” says Maria Khan, the midfielder and captain of the national team. “Fifa will be releasing more information sometime this month [January], so we don’t really have an idea who all we will be playing against. However, our target as a team, every time we step on the pitch together, is to always represent Pakistan in the best way possible,” she adds.

Shahrukh Sohail, a sports management professional and analyst, is of the view that the team’s squad, based on their performance showcased during the AFC Women’s Asia Cup qualifiers, seems strong.

“There could be a few new additions on the cards [in terms of change in squad], but the team is not expected to have any friendly games before the series,” he says. “They will really have to hit the ground running.”

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Under its Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027, Fifa came up with its brainchild, the Fifa Series, in 2024. The inaugural series in 2024 included 24 Member Association (MA) national teams taking part in the competition. National teams from all six confederations faced one another from March 18 to 26, 2024.

The upcoming series is the extended second phase of that, laying the path forward for more nations to be part of the competition.

Many experts see the international friendly matches as an opportunity to fine tune the skills of national team players, preparing them for the crucial South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in the coming summer.

Adeel Rizki, who has been the national team head coach since 2022, believes the opportunity will be, to a great extent, a crucial step towards exhibiting a good performance during the SAFF Championship.

“Being part of this Fifa Series is an achievement in itself,” Rizki tells Eos. “However, our objective goes beyond participation. We aim to compete, perform and showcase Pakistan’s talent in women’s football on the global stage. This experience will also serve as an important stepping stone as we build towards the SAFF Championship 2026.”

As for the challenges, he points out some that the women in green are expected to face. Competing against opponents whom they have not faced before, they will be up against a strong and competitive opposition. “But such exposure is of utmost importance for the growth and development of our women’s team at the international level,” he points out.

“Sadly, we have not had much time to practice and gel together,” says Maria Khan. “It is difficult with restricted Fifa windows, and [keeping in mind] when the players can be released from their clubs. Hopefully, we can use the time together for this Fifa Series to build a strong foundation for the upcoming SAFF Women’s Championship.”

According to sports journalist Muneeb Farrukh, the best part of the series is it will enable the Pakistan team to compete with nations from other confederations. In the past, the Pakistan team was confined to competing with teams only within their own confederation, which provided them with limited exposure.

Shahrukh Sohail sees the team’s participation from an additional angle. “I wouldn’t look at the competition from a pure results-oriented point of view,” he points out. “Our women’s team is still at the development stage. It needs time. This is a friendly tournament and it will provide excellent exposure to the girls, who haven’t played for the last six months.”

THE DEMON OF POLITICS

There’s a spectre already haunting this opportunity, however.

After a decade-long hiatus, the PFF eventually held its elections to elect the executive body in May last year. Until the elections, the country’s football governing body had fallen under Fifa bans twice for failing to elect an executive body to run football affairs.

But on December 21, just before the PFF Executive Committee elections for Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP) seats, things turned murky again as the Sindh Football Association alleged that two of its Congress members had been taken into custody for influencing the elections in KP.

They were not guilty. But the accusation raised many eyebrows, as it was seen as political interference, something that has already landed the PFF into hot waters in previous years, ultimately leading to two consecutive bans.

“Fifa is not tolerant of any sort of political interference in sporting governance, it is quite clear on that,” reminds Muneeb Farrukh. “Keeping in view the previous bans, such a move is likely to put all the gains made by the PFF in jeopardy after the much-awaited elections.

“Indeed, the last thing the PFF needs,” says the sports analyst, “is another ban just before its women’s team heads towards participating in an international event.”

The writer is a member of staff. X: @Ayaz_Jurno

Published in Dawn, EOS, January 11th, 2026