Pakistan football team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Jordan is set to take place at the Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad, on March 21.
The on-field preparations for the match have left football fanatics worried, as the ground is currently hosting the 43rd National Kabaddi Championship.
According to footage available on social media, kabaddi matches on the football ground have made it unsuitable for the March 21 match. Holes have been dug which will be filled before the match.
After the 18th Amendment to Pakistan’s Constitution, the responsibility of Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad, lies with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) instead of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). PSB needs to renovate and integrate the ground with the international standards; ones which fall under the jurisdiction provided by FIFA.
The capital-city-based stadium already lacks the facility to host a night match as the lights lack the quantity required by FIFA to host a dark-time match. PFF Normalization Committee Chairperson, Haroon Malik, has taken multiple extensions from FIFA and AFC for the Pakistan-Jordan match to be played on Pakistan’s soil.
PSB hasn’t provided an update on whether the match can be played at night time or not.