Historic firsts keep coming for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) under the leadership of President Syed Mohsen Gilani.
After the national women’s team took part in the FIFA Series in March, the men’s national team are now in line for their debut FIFA event when they take part in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in September.
Pakistan are one of 14 teams who will take part in the tournament, and one of eight who will compete in Indonesia. The Shaheens are one of three teams to have been invited to participate in the tournament with 11 sides coming from Southeast Asia.
“The Pakistan Football Federation is extremely thankful to FIFA President Gianni Infantino for presenting us with the opportunity to participate in our second-ever FIFA event,” said PFF president Syed Mohsen Gilani.
“After the women’s national team participated in the FIFA Series, it is now the turn of our men’s national team to take part in their maiden FIFA event when they feature at the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup.
“It also gives me great pleasure to state that it was part of my manifesto for the PFF that we achieve unprecedented feats and our teams to go to places and events like none before.
“The FIFA ASEAN Cup represents a huge opportunity for our men’s team to play high-profile competitive matches against some of the top teams in Southeast Asia during the extended 16-day international window in September/October.
“It is also a step that reaffirms our commitment to provide our national teams with competitive matches at every opportunity possible.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said:
The FIFA ASEAN Cup was launched to provide national teams with meaningful competitive opportunities within the Men’s International Match Calendar, giving players the chance to represent their countries in high-intensity regional rivalries. The tournament will strengthen football ties across Southeast Asia while delivering unforgettable moments and fantastic international action for fans throughout the region.
The format of the FIFA ASEAN Cup is designed to provide high-quality international football, strengthen regional connections and create new opportunities for fans to engage with the game.
It will consist of two tiers of competition. The FIFA ASEAN Cup, which will be hosted by Indonesia, will also include Pakistan, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup, besides hosts Hong Kong, China, will see Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Timor-Leste line up in the second tier.
Teams will be allocated to groups based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking to ensure competitive balance and meaningful competition throughout the tournament. Each competition will be split into two groups, with teams facing off in a single-round-robin format. The winners of each section will advance to their respective finals to compete for the trophy, while the group runners-up will contest third-place matches.
“It is time to dream big. We are not content with playing in development competitions. Pakistan is ready to mix it with the big boys. Pakistan football has well and truly arrived at the global stage,” concluded Mr Gilani.
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