Pakistan Women’s Team has always been overlooked, but they have recently been drawn into their debut futsal tournament. In preparation, the PFF has announced open trials in Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi and Lahore. Lahore is the first to host the trials on November 26. These trials will mark a historic milestone, as the Pakistan Women’s futsal team will make their international debut. Similarly, the Men’s futsal team made their debut in October. Both teams will compete in the inaugural SAFF Futsal Championship in January 2026.
The Journey of the Women’s Football Team
The Pakistan Women’s Team has always faced challenges. From not being able to play friendlies to not participating in events, the girls have seen it all. The Women’s team made their debut in 2010, almost 60 years after the men’s team’s debut. However, from 2014 onwards, the Women’s team had to face a hiatus of 8 years. In 2022, the team returned to international football, taking part in the SAFF Championship. Under Adeel Rizki, the team went on to compete in the event and even travelled to Saudi Arabia to compete in a friendly competition. In 2023, the team made history, winning their first-ever Olympic Qualifier. Pakistan beat Tajikistan 1-0 to achieve that feat. In 2025, they debuted in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, winning two games.
Pakistan Women’s SAFF Futsal Championship Debut
The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) announced that it would host the inaugural editions of its Futsal competitions. Both the men’s and women’s teams will compete in the events. Whilst the men’s team made their international futsal debut earlier in October, the women’s team is yet to make their debut.
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Pakistan will play their opening game against Bhutan on January 13. Followed by Sri Lanka on the 15th, Maldives on the 17th, India on the 19th, Nepal on the 21st and ending their campaign against Bangladesh on the 23rd. The team with the highest points will be crowned the champions. The event will be played at the Nonthaburi Stadium, Bangkok.
Local Futsal Scene
Futsal in Pakistan is played far more than football, but it isn’t played on courts. Now, that might sound like a small difference, but on the international stage, it makes a huge difference in playing style.
In the recently held Lahore Sports Tournament (LST), which is considered Pakistan’s largest private sports event, only five teams took part in the girls’ category. These teams included Train With Kaka (TWK), Legacy, SA Gardens and Hazara Quetta. Anmol Hira, Rameen Fareed and Nisha Ashraf shone for TWK. Whilst Fatima Nasir and Sheeza Sajid rose for Legacy. SA Gardens showed a promising outing, playing their academy team, finishing as the runners-up. Sibal Fawad was the standout player for SA Gardens throughout the event, even bagging the Best Attacker award. Besides LST, there are very few opportunities for girls to showcase their talent.
PFF’s preparation for the tournament
In preparation for the competition, the PFF has appointed Fatemah Sharif as the Head Coach. Fatemah is a former Iranian NT player and has also served as the Assistant Coach of the Iranian NT. In addition, Zainab Sabri has been appointed as the Goalkeeping Coach. Lastly, Solmaz Azmian has been appointed as the Fitness Coach. Having previously served as the Fitness Coach of the Iran NT, as well as being a former player. In addition, the PFF will reportedly hold the preparatory training camp in Saudi Arabia as part of the MoU signed.
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