The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced a 28-member squad for the 2026 SAFF Championship, almost a full day after much of the squad had already departed for Bangladesh where the tournament will take place.
While captain Abdullah Iqbal, defender Easah Suliman, and wingers Abdul Samad Arshad and Ali Akbar Khan have been included, they will only be able to join the Pakistan squad if the team reaches the semi-finals. All four were key starters were not given early release by their clubs as Pakistan’s two Group B matches versus India (5 Nov) and Maldives (8 Nov) are before FIFA international window for the month actually begins.
Otis Khan and Harun Hamid remain unavailable, Mohammed Fazal, Abdullah Shah and Ali Agha injured/unfit. This has allowed the return of Zainul Abideen Ishaque, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Junaid Shah and Tufail Khan Shinwari. McKeal Abdullah also returns after last playing in 2025. At the same time, midfielder Muhammad Junaid and striker Najeebullah get their first senior team call-ups having played in the SAFF U20 Championship earlier this year in Maldives.
Pakistan had previously played the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia in the September-October FIFA window where they faced a 4-0 loss to Thailand, followed by a stunning 2-2 draw with the Philippines and a 4-2 loss to Vietnam in Group B.
The 2026 SAFF Championship will take place at the National Stadium Dhaka in Bangladesh from Nov 5-17. Pakistan is in Group B with India and Maldives, while Group A includes hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. The semifinals and final will take place on Nov 14 and 17 respectively. Nepal was not included in the tournament owing to the ANFA’s ongoing suspension by FIFA over governance issues.
Pakistan squad: Saqib Hanif, Hassan Ali, Yousuf Butt; Abdul Rehman, Abdullah Iqbal, Ali Khan Niazi, Easah Suliman, Haris Zeb, Haseeb Khan, Mamoon Moosa Khan, Mohibullah Afridi, Waqar Ehtisham Baloch; Junaid Shah, Adil Nabi, Ali Uzair, Hayyaan Khattak, Tufail Khan Shinwari, Zainul Abideen Ishaque, Muhammad Junaid, Ali Akbar Khan; Abdul Samad Arshad, Alamgir Ghazi, Kaleemullah, McKeal Abdullah, Najeebullah, Shayak Dost, Umar Nawaz.
Team officials: Nolberto Solano (head coach), Titus Bramble (assistant), Walid Javaid (assistant), Shahzaib Ahmed Khan (team manager), Zahid Taj (goalkeeper coach), Muhammad Adnan (physiotherapist), Asghar Khan Anjum (technical observer).
