Pakistan have confirmed their participation in a four-nation men’s football tournament in the Maldives next month, giving the national side another opportunity for international action ahead of future regional events.
The tournament, titled the Independence Cup, will be held from June 1 to 10 as part of the Maldives’ Independence Day celebrations. Alongside Pakistan, the competition will feature Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh U23.
The event is expected to offer useful match practice for Pakistan as the team looks to build momentum and assess its options against familiar South Asian opposition. It will also give the coaching staff a chance to test combinations and squad depth in a competitive setting.
Pakistan head into the tournament after ending their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign with a 2-1 win over Myanmar in a behind-closed-doors match at the Jinnah Sports Stadium in Islamabad.
Despite that result, Pakistan had already been knocked out of qualification contention and finished at the bottom of Group E with two points from five matches.
The side lost home-and-away fixtures against Saudi Arabia and Syria, while both of their meetings against Afghanistan ended in draws. Pakistan had also suffered a 1-0 defeat against Myanmar in the earlier meeting between the two teams in the qualifiers.
The upcoming tournament in Maldives now gives Pakistan a chance to reset after a difficult qualifying campaign and gain more international exposure before their next major assignments.
