ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Jordan are scheduled to play their FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match today, Thursday, after the visiting team from the Middle East arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday night to compete with their hosts.
Last October, the Pakistan men’s football team beat Cambodia 1-0 to win their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifier in Islamabad. Pakistan subsequently lost 4-0 to Saudi Arabia in the second round.
The Pakistani players will now lock horns with Jordan at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Mar. 21 followed by an away fixture in Jordan on Mar. 26.
“After 18 years, the Jordanian football team will play on Pakistani soil,” the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said in a statement following the team’s arrival in Islamabad. “Their last visit to Pakistan was in 2006.”
Pakistan men’s football team coach Stephen Constantine acknowledged last week that Jordan was one of the best sides in Asia but vowed Pakistan would not “lay down” in front of their opponents.
“We have very little time to prepare for such a big game,” he said. “And unfortunately, we are going to play one of the best teams [Jordan] in Asia on 21st March ... We will fight against Jordan and not lay down.”
Pakistan up against Jordan in anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier today
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Pakistan up against Jordan in anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier today
- The Jordanian football team last visited Pakistan in 2006 and will play in the country after 18 years
- Pakistan’s coach recently acknowledged Jordan to be one of the strongest football sides in Asia
Pakistan face USA in their second T20 World Cup clash today
- Pakistan suffered a shock defeat at the hands of the USA in the 2024 T20 World Cup tournament
- Pakistan will then head on to play against arch-rivals India in high-octane clash in Colombo on Feb. 15
ISLAMABAD: Skipper Salman Ali Agha will be wary of the challenge a spirited USA can pose for his side on Tuesday as Pakistan face the minnows for their second T20 World Cup clash in Colombo tonight.
Pakistan will look to avenge their shock 2024 World Cup loss to USA when the latter beat the Asian giants in a thriller that went down to the Super Over. Pakistan lost their other fixture against India after the shock defeat, crashing out of the 2024 World Cup in the early stage.
Agha’s side were headed for yet another World Cup upset on Saturday against the Netherlands if it were not for Faheem Ashraf’s penultimate over heroics, who sealed the game for the Green Shirts with stellar power hitting. The USA, on the other hand, gave a tough time to India in their opening World Cup fixture last week. The defending champions were struggling at 77-6 at one point in time before skipper Suryakumar Yadav rescued them with an unbeaten 84-run knock.
“Another exciting day of #T20WorldCup cricket,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) wrote on social media platform X.
Apart from the Pakistan fixture, New Zealand take on UAE while Namibia face the Netherlands in the World Cup fixtures today.
USA leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin said on Monday that the pressure will be on Pakistan when the two sides take the field on Tuesday.
“The pressure of losing the last game will be on Pakistan,” he said. “I have played with most of the players in this Pakistan team, so I have given my input to the team and we are a more skilled and confident team.”
The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
After the USA fixture, Pakistan will face India on Feb. 15 for a high-octane World Cup clash after the Pakistani government announced it was ending its boycott and would face their arch-rivals on the cricket field.
The decision was taken after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday and was briefed on negotiations between Pakistan’s cricket board, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other stakeholders on Sunday.
Pakistan had announced on Feb. 1 it was pulling out of its World Cup match against India due to the ICC’s decision of replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. Bangladesh had said it would not play its World Cup matches in India owing to security fears and requested different venues. The ICC refused, drawing sharp protests from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earlier thanked the PCB, ICC and all others for their positive roles in trying to “overcome recent challenges,” particularly thanking PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistani cricket fans for demonstrating “exemplary sportsmanship and solidarity.”
An India-Pakistan fixture is the sport’s most lucrative asset, generating a massive share of global broadcasting and sponsorship revenue.
