Somalia’s football team has expressed interest in playing Pakistan’s football team when the national side travels to Saudi Arabia for their FIFA World Cup Qualifier. Pakistan faces Saudi Arabia on 16th November 2023 at Al-Fateh Stadium in Saudi Arabia.
The Pak-Saudi encounter will be the first match of the 2nd round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; this is the first time Pakistan has qualified for the 2nd round, while Saudi Arabia’s major highlight is their win against reigning champions Argentina in the previous World Cup.
According to sources, Somalia wants to play the friendly match before the 16th November encounter, but it is highly unlikely that the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalization Committee (NC) will agree to the request.
The well-being of the national players is the utmost priority for the NC, and playing a friendly a day or two before a major match against Saudi Arabia seems doubtful.
Pakistan’s camp will travel to Saudi Arabia on 11th November 2023 from Islamabad International Airport. The 24-man squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers was announced today as Pakistan looks to secure a result against the Mighty Saudis. The diaspora players are likely to join the Pakistan-based players when they land on Saudi turf tomorrow.
