Pakistan’s football team will face Saudi Arabia in Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia for the first fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers 2nd round. The match was initially planned to take place in Damman Stadium, but due to unforeseen reasons, it has been shifted to the city of Al-Hasa.
Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium has a capacity of close to 20,000 spectators, and it is home to Saudi Pro League (SPL) football club Al Fateh, where ex-Barcelona forward Christian Tello and ex-Manchester City center-back Jason Denayer play.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan is still waiting for a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) to travel to Saudi Arabia. According to sources, the documents for attaining the NOC were provided six days ago, so the NOC is still in the process.
Furthermore, Pakistani football supporters received positive news today when winger Otis Khan was cleared to play for Pakistan by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Otis had to miss out when Pakistan played Cambodia in the 1st round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to confusion at FIFA’s end as they thought that Otis didn’t have Pakistani origin.
The match between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is set to take place on 16th November 2023, at 9:30 PM Pakistan Standard time.
