Pakistan ‘secures entry’ to first FIFA ASEAN Cup

KARACHI: The Paki­stan Football team is set make its appearance in the FIFA ASEAN Cup as the country has been invited to participate in the tournament, according to media reports. According to reports, FIFA has extended an invitation to Pakistan for the newly launched competition, scheduled to be held in Indonesia from Sept 21 to Oct 6. The Pakistan Football Fed­eration (PFF) is also reported to have agreed to participate. The national team would rep­ortedly slot into Divi­s­ion 1, joining a highly competitive field that features Tha­iland, Malaysia, Sing­a­pore, the Philippines, India, and the Indonesian hosts. Local news outlets attributed the unexpected inclusion to ongoing, behind-the-scenes discussions between PFF Presi­dent Mohsen Gilani and FIFA leadership. However, an official confirmation was awaited till filing of this report. Such a development would mark a historic milestone for Pakistani football, representing the country’s first appearance in a FIFA-backed tournament outside of standard World Cup and continental qualifying rounds. Earlier this week, Pakistan ended a 74-year wait for a football tournament title and defeated Afghanistan 2–0 in the final of the Diamond Jubilee Intern­ational Foot­ball Tournament in at the National Stadium to claim a historic first stand-alone international crown. Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026