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Pakistan names final football squad for World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan

Pakistan's players pose for a team picture before the start of the Group A South Asian Football Federation Championship match between India and Pakistan at the Shree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on June 21, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 04 June 2024
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Pakistan names final football squad for World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan

  • Pakistan will face Saudi Arabia men’s football team in Islamabad on June 6
  • South Asian country will take on Tajikistan on June 11 in Dushanbe in away fixture
Updated 04 June 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Tuesday announced the names of the final men’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan, days before Pakistan plays home and away fixtures against the two teams. 

Pakistan will face Saudi Arabia at Islamabad’s Jinnah Football Stadium on June 6 in round 2 of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The clash takes place months after Saudi Arabia thumped Pakistan 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying matches when the Group G sides faced off at Al Ahsa city in November 2023.

Pakistan suffered another setback in round one of the qualifiers when they lost 6-1 to Tajikistan in Islamabad days after losing to Saudi Arabia. The green shirts will face Tajikistan on June 11 in Dushanbe in what will be their final round 2 away fixture. The South Asian country are in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tajikistan. 

“The PFF has named the final national men’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Round 2 matches against Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan,” the PFF said in a statement.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Yousuf Butt (D), Saqib Hanif and Hassan Ali

Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal (D), Mohammad Fazal (D), Haseeb Khan, Rao Omer Hayat, Mamoon Moosa, Mohammad Saddam, Waqar Ihtisham, Moin Ahmed and Abdul Rehman

Midfielders: Rahis Nabi (D), Otis Khan (D), Ali Uzair, Umair Ali, Toqeer ul Hassan, Alamgir Ghazi and Ali Zafar

Forwards: Imran Kayani (D), McKeal Abdulah, Fareedulah, Adeel Younas and Shayak Dost

In the second round of the qualifiers, a total of 36 football squads have been split into nine groups with four teams each. The winners and runners-up from each group would go through to the third round.
Fans can buy tickets for Pakistan’s match against Saudi Arabia on Bookme.pk. 

Topics: Pakistan football team FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away

Updated 9 sec ago
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Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away

  • Khaleda Zia passed away in Dhaka after prolonged illness at the age of 80, says her party
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif describes Zia as a “committed friend of Pakistan” in condolence message
Updated 9 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed condolences over the passing of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, describing her as a committed friend of Islamabad. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced its leader Zia had passed away at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. She died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where the former prime minister was admitted on Nov. 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladesh news website.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. 

“Her lifelong service to Bangladesh and its growth and development leaves a lasting legacy.”

Sharif said his government and people stand with the people of Bangladesh during this difficult time. 

“Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan,” he added. 

Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be part of the same country before the latter seceded into the separate nation of Bangladesh after a bloody civil war in 1971. 

Ties between the two countries have remained mostly strained since then. However, Islamabad enjoyed better relations with Dhaka under Zia’s government compared to when Bangladesh was led by her arch-rival, Sheikh Hasina. 

Hasina was ousted after a violent uprising last year, leading to improved relations between Islamabad and Dhaka. 

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026.

The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.

-With additional input from AFP 
 

Topics: Begum Khaleda Zia Khaleda Zia passes away

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