PFF PRESS RELEASE – 8 April 2026
ABIDJAN, CÔTE D’IVOIRE: Ahead of their first game in the FIFA Series being held in the Ivory Coast, Coach Adeel Rizki and Vice-Captain Suha Hirani met with the local and international press.
With the Pakistan women’s national team (WNT) is preparing to compete in their first FIFA event, a milestone that both the coaching staff and players described as a significant step in the country’s long-term footballing development.
“This is the first time we are playing in a FIFA event, which is a very big opportunity for our players and us as a nation, as well as our member association,” said coach Adeel Rizki. “When you are given a chance to play at this level, you can’t be nervous. You can’t be shy. We have to be looking forward to it and taking it in a very positive stride.”
Pakistan will be making their debut against Turks and Caicos Islands on April 9, followed by Mauritania on the 12th and then play hosts Ivory Coast on the 16th. The FIFA Series was designed to give national teams from different confederations more opportunities to play each other, with this year’s edition being the first to include a dedicated women’s iteration.
The team arrived in Abidjan a couple of days before the press conference, using the time to settle in and adapt to the local climate and conditions. Coach Rizki confirmed the squad had already completed a training session and were in good spirits ahead of the competition.
Vice-Captain Suha Hirani, speaking directly to the team’s motivation, delivered one of the press conference’s most powerful moments when asked about what drives the players in the dressing room.
“Our biggest motivation is to make sure that Pakistan women’s football progresses in the world,” she said. “We don’t get that many chances to play, so every chance we get to represent Pakistan as a country, we want to show that women and girls in Pakistan are very capable of progressing in football on the world stage.”
Hirani also spoke about the significance of competing in Africa for the first time, expressing admiration for their hosts while making clear the team had arrived prepared and with ambitions to win.
“Obviously, we’ve tried to study the team of the Ivory Coast as well, and there’s a lot of very talented players in your national team,” she said. “The opposition is very good, but we’re also very prepared to face the challenges that are going to come.”
When pressed on the team’s chances in the series, the captain was direct. “The aim is to win the whole series over here, and we hope to achieve that,” she said, adding that the squad heading into this tournament is the strongest Pakistan has fielded in recent years. “So far, this is the best team we’ve had. Over the last few years, we’ve had a good chance to gel as a team.”
Coach Rizki, meanwhile, outlined the federation’s broader vision when asked how Pakistan plans to eventually compete at World Cup level. “We are still a developing nation,” he acknowledged. “We have a short-term plan, a medium-term plan, and a long-term plan. Our federation is working very hard — giving competition to our team, starting a domestic league, playing all FIFA windows, and competing with different teams in Asia and then across the world as well. It’s never going to be overnight, but the progression has to be there.”
FULL PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
OPENING STATEMENT
Coach Adeel Rizki: We arrived in Cote d’Ivoire, I think, a couple of days ago. And I think right now the team is settling in. We’ve had one training session and it’s been very nice, very good. Just getting used to the climate and the weather and the field. Otherwise, everything is looking very nice. Thank you so much for hosting us. We really appreciate everything that you guys have done for us.
Q: The Côte d’Ivoire never faced Pakistan. Is this first meeting a motivation for you? Or does it put more pressure on you?
Coach Adeel Rizki: I think we are definitely motivated to play against Ivory Coast. It’s a very good football nation. There’s a very strong culture over here. So I think we have a lot of learnings. We get to learn from countries like yourself on how we can develop football. And how we can compete at the highest level. I think it’s a very good competition. For us, I think we are here to make sure that we are competing well. That we are participating well. And trying to build something for the future. And that’s what we are looking forward to. So every game is important. Every opposition that we play is important to us. Because it’s a step forward in the right direction. So that’s how we look at it.
Q: According to the news Pakistan has never played a big tournament. How do you feel? How do you see it?
Coach Adeel Rizki: Yes, this is the first time we are playing in a FIFA event. Which is a very big opportunity for our players and us as a nation. As well as our member association. We are absolutely looking forward to it. I think when you are given a chance to play at this level. You can’t be nervous. You can’t be shy. We have to be looking forward to it. And taking it in a very positive stride. I think the players are very excited. And the management is also very happy. That we are getting this opportunity to play at this level. And thanks to our federation for arranging this. I think we are looking forward to it. There is no nerves over here. It’s a tournament. But we don’t have to be afraid. We hope to do our best.
Q (to Vice-Captain): This is your first time in Africa. What do you think about African football and the national team of Côte d’Ivoire? Do you know some of the players? And how do you feel about this tournament?
Vice-Captain Suha Hirani: Thanks for your question. Yeah, this is our first time in the Ivory Coast. And we’re very excited. Obviously, we’ve tried to study the team of the Ivory Coast as well. And there’s a lot of very talented players in your national team. Every opportunity to represent Pakistan in a different region brings a lot of growth for us. So, we’re excited to experience a different kind of football opposition. Because we’re very used to playing in South Asia and Asian countries. So, yeah, the girls are very excited, very motivated. We’ve had a very good training camp as well. We’re prepared and we have a strong squad. So, yeah, the opposition is very good. But we’re also very prepared to face the challenges that are going to come.
Q (to Vice-Captain): As a player, what kind of motivation do you guys give to yourself in the dressing rooms?
Vice-Captain Suha Hirani: Thank you for your question. In terms of motivation in the dressing room, our biggest motivation is to make sure that Pakistan women’s football progresses in the world. We don’t get that many chances to play, so every chance we get to represent Pakistan as a country, we want to show that women and girls in Pakistan are very capable of progressing in football on the world stage. When we’re in the dressing room, we’re just excited to get every opportunity to play. We want to enjoy our football. We also want to show what we’re capable of to the world. Anytime we’re in the dressing room, we look back at everything we’ve been through in Pakistan football for the domestic girls. We’re always excited to play football any chance we get.
Q (to Vice-Captain): You arrived in Côte d’Ivoire. How did you find the welcome here?
Vice-Captain Suha Hirani: We’ve had a very, very good welcome from all the FIFA officials and all the officials in the Ivory Coast. Everything has been very perfect so far, from the accommodation to the food to how friendly the staff has been. So, no complaints at all. We were having a very good time. This is the first time we’ve been to any country in Africa. So, we’re enjoying the experience a lot. We’re very thankful and grateful for the way everyone has welcomed us over here.
Q (to Vice-Captain): When you check out all the teams that are available here, what are your chances? Did you really come for the cup? Can you win it?
Vice-Captain Suha Hirani: Thank you for your question. So, yes, we have studied all three of our oppositions. Obviously, the Ivory Coast team is the best team and the highest-ranked team over here. In terms of our chances, the first couple of matches, I think the opposition is slightly lower-ranked than us, so we want to make sure we play very good attacking football and we get a win out of both those games. But even in the third match, we’re going for the win. We’re very confident in the players we have. So far, this is the best team we’ve had. Over the last few years, we’ve had a good chance to gel as a team. I think even though the third match is going to be the toughest match we have, we are treating every single match the same way. We’re going in with full preparation in every single match. The aim is to win the whole series over here, and we hope to achieve that.
Q (to Coach): We all know that the Pakistan team is not at their highest. How do you think you can progress to go to the World Cup?
Coach Adeel Rizki: Very good question. I think what we need to understand is we are still a developing nation. We are doing the things that we have to do to get our basic rights. We have a long-term strategic plan in which we are going to have different levels of what we want to achieve. We have a short-term plan. We have a medium-term plan. And we have a long-term plan. So with that in mind, our federation is working very hard and making sure that we are doing the right things, such as giving competition to our team to play in a series like this, where we expect to start a domestic league. We expect to be playing all FIFA windows. We expect our women’s team to be competing with different teams in Asia and then across the world as well. And it’s never going to be overnight. It’s never going to be tomorrow that we are starting to play the World Cup. It has to be that we are going to progress slowly, but the progression has to be there. So everything is a process with the right strategic plan, with the right people in place. I believe we can achieve that very soon.
Closing Statement (Coach):
Thank you so much for having us. It’s been a pleasure being here already. I hope the rest of the tournament is also very good. We are really looking forward to it. And good luck to all the teams and all the management and everyone. I believe we are here to enjoy football and develop the game. And especially we have a set of very, very strong women around us. And I think that’s the most important thing. We have to give every opportunity for them to be successful. Thank you so much.
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