ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan men’s football team on Sunday arrived in Jordan to play their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round 2 Qualifier away fixture against the Middle Eastern side, which is scheduled to be held on Mar. 26.
Jordan thrashed Pakistan 3-0 at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad during the first qualifying match between the two sides last Thursday. The match marked the first time in 18 years that Jordan’s football team arrived in Pakistan to play a football match.
To play their second qualifying match, the Pakistan team departed for Jordan in the wee hours of Sunday.
“The national team arrived in Amman through a private airline flight via Doha,” the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said in a statement.
The Pakistan vs Jordan away match will start at 12pm Pakistan time on March 26.
In a setback for Pakistan, the PFF earlier announced that Pakistani defender Abdullah Iqbal had been suspended for the crucial game as a result of accumulated yellow cards during recent matches.
Iqbal was issued the first yellow card during the initial round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers match against Cambodia in Islamabad on Oct. 17, 2023.
“Subsequently, he acquired another yellow card during a home match against Jordan in the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on the 21st of March, 2024,” the PFF said.
Last October, Pakistan 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.
Pakistan football team arrives in Jordan to play World Cup qualifying away fixture
https://arab.news/y7d6h
Pakistan football team arrives in Jordan to play World Cup qualifying away fixture
- Jordan thrashed Pakistan last Thursday 3-0 in first FIFA World Cup qualifying match between two sides
- Pakistani defender Abdullah Iqbal suspended for crucial away match due to accumulated yellow cards
Germany to take in more than 500 stranded Afghans from Pakistan
- German interior minister says Berlin seeks to complete process for Afghan refugees by December
- Afghans part of refugee scheme were stuck in Pakistan after Chancellor Merz froze program earlier this year
BERLIN: The German government said Thursday it would take in 535 Afghans who had been promised refuge in Germany but have been stuck in limbo in Pakistan.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the RND media network Berlin wanted to complete the processing of the cases “in December, as far as possible” to allow them to enter Germany.
The Afghans were accepted under a refugee scheme set up by the previous German government, but have been stuck in Pakistan since conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and froze the program.
Those on the scheme either worked with German armed forces in Afghanistan during the war against the Taliban, or were judged to be at particular risk from the Taliban after its return to power in 2021 — for example, rights activists and journalists, as well as their families.
Pakistan had set a deadline for the end of the year for the Afghans’ cases to be settled, after which they would be deported back to their homeland.
Dobrindt said that “we are in touch with the Pakistani authorities about this,” adding: “It could be that there are a few cases which we will have to work on in the new year.”
Last week, the interior ministry said it had informed 650 people on the program they would not be admitted, as the new government deemed it was no longer in Germany’s “interest.”
The government has offered those still in Pakistan money to give up their claim of settling in Germany, but as of mid-November, only 62 people had taken up the offer.
Earlier this month, more than 250 organizations in Germany, including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Human Rights Watch, said there were around 1,800 Afghans from the program in limbo in Pakistan, and urged the government to let them in.
