Pakistan football team to travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow for AFC Asian Cup qualifier camp

The photo shared on June 18, 2023, shows the Pakistani football team posing for a photo. (Courtesy: Pakistan Football Federation/Twitter)
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Updated 19 March 2025
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Pakistan football team to travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow for AFC Asian Cup qualifier camp

  • Pakistan will face Syria in AFC Asian Cup qualifier fixture on Mar. 25 in Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahsa
  • Green shirts to resume training camp in Saudi Arabia under Head Coach Stephen Constantine

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's national football team will travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, Thursday, where they will resume training for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifier fixture against Syria, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said in a statement. 

Pakistan will kick off their AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification campaign against Syria on Mar. 25 at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. 

The green shirts concluded their training session in the eastern city of Lahore on Wednesday night, the PFF said. 

"The team is set to depart for Saudi Arabia tomorrow night, where they will continue their training under the guidance of Head Coach Stephen Constantine," the PFF said. 

Earlier this month, Pakistan reappointed Constantine, who previously served as the country's head coach from late 2023 until mid-2024, as head coach for the Syria fixture. 

Pakistan's inclusion in the qualifier was made possible after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) lifted its international suspension against the country earlier this month. 

FIFA hit Pakistan on Feb. 6 with a third international suspension in less than eight years after the federation rejected its electoral reforms. Following the suspension, the PFF unanimously approved FIFA's proposed constitutional amendments in an extraordinary meeting in Lahore this month. 

Pakistan are placed in Group E of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers alongside Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar.

PAKISTAN PROBABLES

Goal-Keepers: Yousuf Butt, Saqib Hanif, Abdul Basit and Adam Khan

Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Haseeb Khan, Junaid Shah, Mamoon Moosa, Mohammad Fazal, Abdul Rehman and Waqar Ihtisam

Midfielders: Alamgir Ghazi, Ali Uzair, Ali Zafar, Muhammad Umar Hayat, Rahis Nabi, Toqeer ul Hassan, Umair Ali and Moin Ahmed

Forwards: Fareedullah, Harun Hamid, Imran Kayani, Mckeal Abdullah, Abdul Samad, Shayak Dost and Muhammad Adeel Younas


OIC’s COMSTECH stresses academic collaborations across Muslim world in Islamabad meeting

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OIC’s COMSTECH stresses academic collaborations across Muslim world in Islamabad meeting

  • COMSTECH holds annual meeting in Islamabad featuring 30 delegates from Iran, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia and other OIC states
  • Limited pool of skilled professionals one of the foremost challenges facing Muslim world, notes COMSTECH secretary general 

ISLAMABAD: The OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) called for stronger academic collaboration across Islamic states to secure the future of higher education in the Muslim world, state-run media reported on Saturday. 

COMSTECH’s Coordinator General Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary was speaking at the Annual Meeting of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence at the organization’s Secretariat in Islamabad. The event brought together vice chancellors, rectors, and senior representatives from leading universities across OIC member and observer states. 

Nearly 30 international delegates representing universities from Iran, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal joined their counterparts from several Pakistani institutions at the meeting. Participants attempted to chart a collective path forward for tertiary education in OIC countries.

“Collaborations, knowledge sharing, best practices, exchange of scholars, technology transfer and joint academic programs are vital for overcoming the educational challenges faced across the OIC region,” Choudhary said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

The COMSTECH secretary general noted that one of the foremost developmental challenges facing OIC nations remains the limited pool of skilled professionals and workforce. 

He said this gap can only be bridged through strengthened tertiary education systems and expanded opportunities for knowledge transfer.

Discussions at the event highlighted the urgent need for competency-driven education, modern pedagogical tools, university–industry partnerships and collaborative training programs designed to equip graduates with the skills necessary to address emerging global challenges.

“The Annual Meeting served as a vital platform for reviewing progress achieved over the past year, identifying future priorities, and deepening academic cooperation to promote scientific excellence and sustainable development across the OIC region,” the APP said.