Pakistan face Tajikistan in the 2nd match of the 2nd round to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match will be played at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad at 2 PM (Pakistan time) today.
Talking about history, the two sides have collided twice before today. The first instance was on 4 April 2006, when the two faced each other in AFC Challenge Cup. Tajikistan came out on top 2-0.
The second and last match occurred on 17 March 2013 in an AFC Challenge Cup qualifier, which Tajikistan won 1-0 through a last-minute winner by the Tajik captain Khurshed Makhmudov.
Today will be the third instance that both of these countries take on each other. Tajikistan is ranked 109th in FIFA World Rankings, while Pakistan is 193rd.
The recent form of Tajikistan looks impressive. In the last 5 matches, they have won friendly matches against Malaysia and Singapore 2-0, while they drew their most recent match against Jordan 1-1.
Other than Jordan, they also drew against Oman in the CAFA (Central Asia Football Association) Nations Cup 1-1. In the same CAFA Cup, they suffered a massive loss against Uzbekistan 5-1. Uzbekistan went on to play in the finals of the Cup, losing to Iran 1-0.
| LAST 5 MATCHES (TAJIKISTAN) |
| Tajikistan 1-1 Jordan |
| Malaysia 0-2 Tajikistan |
| Singapore 0-2 Tajikistan |
| Uzbekistan 5-1 Tajikistan |
| Oman 1-1 Tajikistan |
Pakistan has won 1, drew 1 and lost 3 fixtures in the last 5 matches. They lost their most recent match against Saudi Arabia 4-0, while they won against Cambodia 1-0, and drew 0-0 playing in Cambodia’s home. Two matches before it, they played in SAFF Championship where they lost to Nepal 1-0 and Kuwait 4-0.
| LAST 5 MATCHES (PAKISTAN) |
| Saudi Arabia 4-0 Pakistan |
| Pakistan 1-0 Cambodia |
| Cambodia 0-0 Pakistan |
| Nepal 1-0 Pakistan |
| Pakistan 0-4 Kuwait |
