Pakistan national football team
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| Nickname(s) | Green Shirts; Pak Shaheens | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Pakistan Football Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Vacant | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Captain | Kaleemullah Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Jaffar Khan (43) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Muhammad Essa (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Punjab Stadium (10,000) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | PAK | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| FIFA ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current |
200  (10 August 2017) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest | 95 (February 1994) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest | 201 (April–May 2017) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current | 191 (28 May 2017) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest | 208 (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| First international | ||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} Iran 3–1 Pakistan  (Tehran, Iran; 27 October 1950) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pakistan 9–2 Guam  (Taipei City, Taiwan; 6 April 2008)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Iran 9–1 Pakistan (Tehran, Iran; 12 March 1969)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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The Pakistan national football team represents Pakistan association football in FIFA-authorised events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Pakistan's home ground is Punjab Stadium, Lahore. Pakistan became a member of FIFA in 1948 joining the Asian Football Confederation. Pakistan's national team debuted in 1950.
Pakistan contest the South Asian Football Federation Championship and South Asian Games, which alternate biennially. Pakistan won the Colombo Cup in 1952. Pakistan has great record in South Asian Games, most successful team in South Asian Games, won four gold medals in 1989, 1991, 2004, 2006 and won one bronze medal in 1987 respectively.
History
Late 1960s and early 1970s
It was three years before Pakistan played another competitive fixture, when they played in the first RDC Cup and finished third. In 1967, they played a series of friendlies against Saudi Arabia, all ending in draws. Later in the year Pakistan lost their Asian Cup qualifiers against Burma and Khmer and drew their final match against India. They then hosted the second RDC Cup and finished third, which included the 4–7 defeat to Turkey. In 1969, they travelled to Iran to take part in friendly tournament, in which they had a 2–1 win against Iraq and a record 9–1 defeat by Iran.
As a result of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, East Pakistan became The People's Republic of Bangladesh and consequently the Pakistani team lost the right to call upon Bengali players. In the early 1970s the national side's participation was restricted to the RDC Cup and the 1974 Asian Games, and a single friendly against South Korea in 1978. The most notable result in this period was a 2–2 draw against Turkey. They also lost 8–0 to Kenya in Riyadh Saudi Arabia's Arabi tournament
1980–1990 (Rise and fall)
In the King's Cup in 1982, Pakistan secured a goalless draw against Indonesia, the team's first clean sheet since 1962. After a loss to Thailand, they gained a 3–2 victory versus Malaysia and although they lost a close game against China, they were able to win 1–0 in their final game against Singapore.
Pakistan hosted a friendly tournament involving Iran, Bangladesh, Oman and Nepal in 1982. The Green Shirts started off with a 2–1 over Bangladesh. They lost to Iran, but came back and beat Nepal 2–0. The last game against Oman ended nil-nil and Pakistan ended the tournament as runners-up. However, in 1984, the national team lost 4 out of 5 games in the Asian Cup qualifiers, the only victory coming against North Yemen 4–1.
The national team hosted another tournament in 1985, this time inviting North Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal. A goalless draw against the North Koreans boosted the side, and they beat Nepal 1–0. However, losses in the final two games against Bangladesh and Indonesia meant they were again runners up. In the South Asian Games, Pakistan ended fourth after losing a penalty shoot out to Nepal.
In the 1986 Asian Games, Pakistan lost all their games. However, a year later the side was more successful at the South Asian Games, winning the bronze medal match against Bangladesh 1–0. In 1988, they lost all their Asian Cup qualifiers. Pakistan made their first attempt to qualify for the World Cup in 1989. However, they were unable to win any of their matches. The national team bounced back, when several months later they took Gold at the South Asian Games, beating Bangladesh 1–0 in the final.
1990s to 2003 (Decline)
Pakistan had another early exit in the Asian Games, losing all three games in 1990. In the 1991 South Asian Games, Pakistan beat the Maldives in the final 2–0 to win their second Gold. The next year they failed to qualify for another Asian Cup after defeats in both qualifiers, after a World Cup qualifying campaign in 1993 where in one game they lost to Iraq 8–0. Later in the year the first SAFF Cup took place, and the national team finished fourth, but at the 1993 South Asian Games, they were unable to get past the group stage.
In 1995, Pakistan went out of the SAFF Cup group stage on goal difference. Between 1996 and 1997, the team lost all their Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying games. Pakistan came third in the 1997 SAFF Cup, thanks to a 1–0 victory over Sri Lanka in the third place playoff. The 1999 SAFF Cup saw Pakistan finish bottom of their group, and Pakistan also failed to get out of the group stage of the final South Asian Games to hold full internationals.
Pakistan were unable to win any of their 2000 Asian Cup qualifiers. The following year Pakistan achieved their first point in World Cup qualification, thanks to a hat-trick by Gohar Zaman in a 3–3 draw against Sri Lanka, but all other matches ended in defeat.
In 2002, Pakistan played in an unsuccessful four match series against Sri Lanka. At the 2003 SAFF Cup, Pakistan finished fourth, losing 2–1 in extra time to India in the third place playoff. Later in the year, Pakistan won their first Asian Cup qualifier with a 3–0 over Macao, but still were unable to qualify. They rounded off the year with defeats to Kyrgyzstan in the World Cup qualifiers.
2004–2013 (New set-up and changes)
2004 saw changes in Pakistan football, with a new administration in place by this time and a new national league up and running. A victory against India in a three match series, the final match ending 3–0 to the Greenshirts, followed, and they went on the reach the semi-finals of the 2005 SAFF Cup. They lost the semifinal against defending champion Bangladesh by 0–1 margin.
The Pakistan team lost their first two Asian Cup qualifiers in 2006, in between which they took part in the first AFC Challenge Cup 2006. They failed to get past the group stage, but beat Kyrgyzstan 1–0. Back at the Asian Cup qualifiers, they lost their remaining fixtures. In the World Cup qualifiers in 2007, they fell to a heavy defeat by the Asian champions Iraq and after the 7–0 loss, little was expected on them in the second leg. However, the Greenshirts held them to a goalless draw. In 2008, Pakistan travelled to Nepal for two friendlies before taking on the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. Although they won against Chinese Taipei 2–1 in the first match, and beat Guam in a record-equalling 9–2 win in the final match, other results, including a 7–1 defeat to Sri Lanka, saw them again fail to reach the finals.
In the SAFF Championship 2008, Pakistan failed to go beyond the group stages, losing to Maldives 3–0, India 2–1 and Nepal 4–1, which signalled the end of Akhtar Mohiuddin's tenure as head coach. After Mohiuddin's departure, Austrian-Hungarian coach George Kottan was hired and the veteran tactician took a star-studded team to the SAFF Championship 2009. Despite calling upon foreign players such as Adnan Ahmed, Shabir Khan, Amjad Iqbal, Atif Bashir and Reis Ashraf, the side were unable were defeat 1–0 by Sri Lanka, before drawing 0–0 with Bangladesh as former Manchester United star Adnan missed a late penalty to seal a win. Pakistan trounced Bhutan 7–0 in their last game, but it was all for nothing, as the best team in the tournament according to the locals exited even before the semi-finals.
Kottan was soon sacked in February 2010, Pakistan had no senior games during the entire calendar year but saw the appointment of Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts for the U-23 Team. For the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 qualifiers in 2011, KRL FC coach Tariq Lutfi was called up once more and failed to deliver emphatically. Defeats such as the 3–0 against Turkmenistan and 3–1 against India meant that the side were already out of the qualifiers despite beating Chinese Taipei by 2–0. Later in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in July, Bangladesh thoroughly beat Pakistan 3–0 in Dhaka, before earning a 0–0 draw in Lahore a few days later.
That saw the end of Lutfi's reign, with Serbian boss Zaviša Milosavljević taking over in November 2011 right before the SAFF Championship 2011. Despite having little time to influence the team, Zavisa managed to hold Bangladesh 0–0, Maldives 0–0 and Nepal 1–1 in the India-hosted SAFF Championship 2011. However, they were unable to progress into the semi-finals and returned home.
2012's sole game was witnessed in November against Singapore, who thrashed Pakistan 4–0 at home. Pakistan then started 2013 with a bang, winning two games against Nepal with identical 1–0 margins thanks to the brilliance of Hassan Bashir. A 1–1 draw with Maldives followed, but with congested fixtures Pakistan ended up losing the last game 3–0 in Male.
2013–present
Pakistan then played the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification in Bishkek, losing out 1–0 to Tajikistan in injury-time.Pakistan also lost 1–0 against the Kyrgyzstan after scoring in the 1st minute, but with Hassan Bashir returning, Pakistan comfortably beat Macau 2–0.
Pakistan played a friendly against Afghanistan in August, losing 3–0 emphatically without their foreign-based players. Coach Zaviša Milosavljević was sacked and replaced by Bahrain's Mohammad Al-Shamlan, who acted as a coaching consultant to Shahzad Anwar in the 2013 SAFF Championship
The Shaheens played their hearts out, but were unable to defeat India and lost 1–0 after horrendous own-goal from Aqib Riaz. Against hosts Nepal, Hassan Bashir scored an early goal, only to see 15-year-old Bimal Gharti Magar level things in injury-time. However, Pakistan beat Bangladesh 2–1 and were unlucky not to reach the semi-finals after losing out on head-to-head with India.
Pakistan did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, being eliminated by Bangladesh in the first round of the AFC qualifying section, losing the first game 3–0, but drawing 0–0 in the return game, being 3–0 as the aggregate score.
In 2014, Pakistan played a 2 match friendly series with India. All matches were played at Bangalore Stadium in India. India beat Pakistan 1–0 in the first friendly, leading the series, but Pakistan won the second match 0-2, winning the series but winning on aggregate with a score of 1-2.
For Pakistan's campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, they were to face Yemen in Round 1 in the AFC qualifying section. In the first match, Pakistan lost 3–1. For the second match, Pakistan drew 0–0, eliminating Pakistan from the tournament with an aggregate score of 3–1 in favor of Yemen.[3]
Grounds and Uniform
Stadiums
For the first fifty years of their existence, Pakistan played their home matches all around the country. They initially used cricket grounds before later moving on to football stadiums. Pakistan played at a number of different venues across the country, though by the time of 2003 this had largely settled down to having Punjab Stadium as the primary venue, with Jinnah Sports Stadium And Peoples Football Stadium used on occasions where Punjab Stadium was unavailable for home matches.
The Pakistan Football Federation has its headquarters near the stadium. It recently hosted most of the matches for the AFC President's Cup 2007. Muhammad Essa was the first man to score an international goal at this venue when he surged Pakistan ahead against India in June 2005.
Kit
The Pakistan national team's home kit has always been a green shirt and white shorts. The colours are derived from the flag of Pakistan which is a green field with a white crescent moon and five-rayed star at its centre, and a vertical white stripe at the hoist side.[4] The away shirt colour has changed several times. The national team has used white shirt with white shorts or white shirt with green shorts. Historically, white shirt with green shorts is the most often used colour combination. The kits are currently manufactured by Forward Sports.
Players and management
Current squad
The following 30 players are listed for any upcoming matches.
| # | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Muzammil Hussain | 6 September 1993 | 1 | 0 | WAPDA FC
| |
| GK | Saqib Hanif | 28 April 1994 | 2 | 0 |  BG Sports Club
| |
| GK | Yousuf Butt | 18 October 1989 | 12 | 0 |  Fredensborg BI
| |
| GK | Ahsanullah Ahmed | 25 February 1995 | 3 | 0 | HBL F.C. | |
| DF | Nabil Aslam | 3 August 1984 | 1 | 0 | Glostrup FK
| |
| DF | Muhammad Ahmed | 3 January 1988 | 6 | 0 | KRL F.C.
| |
| DF | Muhammad Bilal | 14 August 1996 | 0 | 0 | WAPDA FC
| |
| DF | Zesh Rehman | 14 October 1983 | 18 | 1 |  Southern
| |
| DF | Ahsan Ullah | 13 December 1992 | 4 | 0 | KRL F.C.
| |
| DF | Mohsin Ali | 1 June 1996 (aged 21) | 4 | 0 | Navy F.C
| |
| DF | Mohd Zaiza Zainal Abidin | 1 February 1986 | 0 | 0 |  PBMS F.C.
| |
| DF | Shabir Khan | 10 November 1985 | 9 | 1 |  Worcester City
| |
| DF | Kamran Ali Iqbal | 20 February 1995 | 0 | 0 |  Bærum | |
| MF | Adnan Ahmed | 7 June 1984 | 27 | 4 | Nelson F.C.
| |
| MF | Muhammad Riaz | 10 March 1995 | 6 | 1 | K-Electric FC
| |
| MF | Bilalwal-ur-Rehman | 4 October 1993 | 4 | 0 | KRL F.C.
| |
| MF | Mahmood Khan | 10 June 1991 | 3 | 0 | KRL F.C.
| |
| MF | Saddam Hussain | 10 April 1993 | 19 | 0 |  Larnaka Gençler Birliği S.K.
| |
| MF | Saadullah Khan | 4 June 1994 | 3 | 1 | KRL F.C.
| |
| MF | Muhammad Adil | 9 July 1992 | 19 | 0 |  Hawkesbury City FC
| |
| MF | Naveed Ahmed | 3 January 1993 | 8 | 0 | KRL F.C.
| |
| MF | Etzaz Hussain | 27 January 1993 | 0 | 0 | Molde | |
| FW | Muhammad Ali | 2 September 1989 | 8 | 0 | B93
| |
| FW | Kaleemullah Khan (Captain) | 20 September 1992 | 25 | 4 |  Tulsa Roughnecks
| |
| FW | Hassan Bashir (Vice-captain) | 7 January 1987 | 15 | 4 | BSV
| |
| FW | Adnan Mohammad | 2 July 1996 | 0 | 0 | FC Helsingør
| |
| FW | Mansoor Khan | 20 February 1997 | 5 | 0 | PAF F.C. | |
Current staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Assistant coach | Tanveer Ahmed |
| Goalkeeping coach | Aslam Khan |
| Physiotherapist | Dr Kamra Mehdi |
| Business manager | Asghar Anjum |
Pakistan team in FIFA world ranking
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 | 158 | 160 | 173 | 153 | 168 | 179 | 190 | 181 | 178 | 168 | 177 | 158 | 164 | 163 | 165 | 156 | 171 | 179 | 189 | 172 | 188 | 184 | 197 | 200 |
Source:www.fifa.com[5]
Honours and recognition
- Champions (1): 1952
- Runners-Up (3): 1953, 1954, 1955
- Runners-Up (1): 1962
- Fourth Place (1): 1960
- Third Place (1): 2013
Records
- Largest win — 9 - 2 Guam , (Taiwan, 06 April 2008)
- Worst defeat — 9 - 1 Iran , (Iran, 12 March 1969)
Tournament records
Team performance
TBD (to be determined), DNQ (did not qualify), DNP (did not participate)
| South Asian Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1984 | Kathmandu,  Nepal |
DNP |
| 1985 | Dhaka,  Bangladesh |
DNP |
| 1987 | Kolkata,  India |
3rd |
| 1989 | Islamabad, Pakistan |
1st |
| 1991 | Colombo,  Sri Lanka |
1st |
| 1993 | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
DNP |
| 1995 | Madras, India |
DNP |
| 1999 | Kathmandu, Nepal |
DNP |
| 2004 | Islamabad, Pakistan |
1st |
| 2006 | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
1st |
| 2010 | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Round-1 |
| 2016 | Guwahati and Shillong, India |
DNP |
| 2018 | Kathmandu, Nepal |
TBD |
| AFC Challenge Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 2006 | Chittagong and Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Round-1 |
| 2008 | New Delhi and Hyderabad, India |
DNQ |
| 2010 | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
DNQ |
| 2012 | Kathmandu, Nepal |
DNQ |
| 2014 | Kaafu Atoll and Addu Atoll, Maldives |
DNQ |
| SAFF Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1993 | Lahore, Pakistan |
4th |
| 1995 | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Round-1 |
| 1997 | Kathmandu, Nepal |
3rd |
| 1999 | Margao, India |
Round-1 |
| 2003 | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
4th |
| 2005 | Islamabad, Pakistan |
Semi-Finalist |
| 2008 | Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Round-1 |
| 2009 | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Round-1 |
| 2011 | New Delhi, India |
Round-1 |
| 2013 | Kathmandu, Nepal |
Round-1 |
| 2015 | Kerala, India |
DNP |
| 2017 | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
TBD |
| ECO Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1965 | Tehran, Iran |
3rd |
| 1967 | Dhaka, East Pakistan |
3rd |
| 1969 | Ankara,  Turkey |
3rd |
| 1970 | Tehran, Iran |
3rd |
| 1974 | Karachi, Pakistan |
3rd |
| 1993 | Tehran, Iran |
Round-1 |
| Asia Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1956 | So Kon Po, Hong Kong |
DNP |
| 1960 | Seoul,  South Korea |
DNQ |
| 1964 | Ramat Gan,  Israel |
DNP |
| 1968 | Tehran, Iran |
DNQ |
| 1972 | Bangkok,  Thailand |
DNQ |
| 1976 | Tehran, Iran |
DNP |
| 1980 | Kuwait City,  Kuwait |
DNQ |
| 1984 | National Stadium,  Singapore |
DNQ |
| 1988 | Doha,  Qatar |
DNQ |
| 1992 | Hiroshima,  Japan |
DNQ |
| 1996 | Abu Dhabi,  United Arab Emirates |
DNQ |
| 2000 | Beirut,  Lebanon |
DNQ |
| 2004 | Beijing,  China |
DNQ |
| 2007 | Jakarta,  Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand and Hanoi,  Vietnam |
DNQ |
| 2011 | Doha, Qatar |
DNQ |
| 2015 | Sydney, Australia |
DNQ |
| 2019 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
DNQ |
| Colombo Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1952 | Colombo, .svg.png){kind=small} Ceylon |
1st |
| 1953 | Rangoon,  Burma |
2nd |
| 1954 | Calcutta, India |
2nd |
| 1955 | Dhaka, East Pakistan |
2nd |
| Philippine Peace Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 2012 | Manila,  Philippines |
DNP |
| 2013 | Manila, Philippines |
3rd |
| 2014 | Manila, Philippines |
DNP |
| FIFA World Cup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Host country | Position |
| 1930 | Estadio Centenario,  Uruguay |
DNP |
| 1934 | Rome,  Italy |
DNP |
| 1938 | Paris,  France |
DNP |
| 1950 | Rio de Janeiro,  Brazil |
DNQ |
| 1954 | Bern,  Switzerland |
DNQ |
| 1958 | Solna Municipality,  Sweden |
DNQ |
| 1962 | Santiago,  Chile |
DNQ |
| 1966 | London, England |
DNQ |
| 1970 | Mexico City,  Mexico |
DNQ |
| 1974 | Munich,  West Germany |
DNQ |
| 1978 | Buenos Aires,  Argentina |
DNQ |
| 1982 | Madrid,  Spain |
DNQ |
| 1986 | Mexico City, Mexico |
DNQ |
| 1990 | Rome, Italy |
DNQ |
| 1994 | Pasadena, California, United States |
DNQ |
| 1998 | Saint-Denis, France |
DNQ |
| 2002 | Daegu, South Korea and Yokohama, Japan |
DNQ |
| 2006 | Berlin, Germany |
DNQ |
| 2010 | Johannesburg,  South Africa |
DNQ |
| 2014 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
DNQ |
| 2018 | Moscow,  Russia |
DNQ |
| 2022 | Doha, Qatar |
TBD |
See also
- Pakistan national under-23 football team
- Pakistan national under-20 football team
- Pakistan national under-17 football team
- Pakistan Football Federation
References
- ↑ Pakistan: Fixtures and Results – 2008 FIFA.com
- ↑ Pakistan: Fixtures and Results – 1969 FIFA.com
- ↑ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/preliminaries/asia/index.html#275167
- ↑ "Government of Pakistan: Flag description". Pakistan.gov.pk. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
- ↑ FIFA-ranking
External links
| League competitions |
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| Cup competitions | |
| National teams | |
| List and categories |
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