In the early hours of Monday morning, Pakistan football fans were greeted with a piece of grim news by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). The PFF announced that Pakistan will not be able to host the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier game against Jordan which was scheduled to take place at Jinnah Stadium Islamabad on 21st March.
Why Jinnah Stadium Islamabad will not be hosting the match against Jordan?
The PFF has stated that Jinnah Stadium Islamabad does not meet FIFA’s requirements, hence Pakistan’s match against Jordan cannot be held in the capital. Since this stadium is the only football stadium in the country that comes close to matching FIFA’s standards, this means that Shaheens will not be able to play March’s game in front of their home crowd.
PFF has also stated that due to Ramadan, the match against Jordan was supposed to be held under lights. However, the lights at Jinnah Stadium are not adequate for hosting international fixtures as per FIFA regulations. Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and PFF had planned to install high-quality flood lights, but they have run out of time as the last date to confirm the home venue was 21st January. The game against Jordan will now be held at a neutral venue.
It is pertinent to note here that, objections against Jinnah Stadium were also raised last year in October when Pakistan was due to host Cambodia in Round 1 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. But back then PFF acted swiftly to make sure that the game took place in the capital and the rest is just history.
Interesting to read: Pakistan 1-0 Cambodia: Harun Hamid helps Shaheens secure maiden FIFA World Cup Qualifier victory
What are the implications of not playing at Jinnah Stadium Islamabad?
Not being able to play at your home ground is going to be a big blow to Pakistan’s chances of advancing to the next round. The Shaheens sit at the bottom of Group G, with zero points after two games, in Round 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The men in Green face a formidable Jordan side in the upcoming fixture. They are currently ranked 87th in the FIFA Rankings and are enjoying a great run at the ongoing AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. Shaheens’ chances of getting a positive result against the Arab side have been shattered as they needed all the support from their home crowd.
Furthermore, cash-strapped PFF is set to miss out on much-needed funds to be generated from ticket sales. In the last game against Tajikistan, a staggering 18,000+ spectators filled the Jinnah Stadium. With the match now certain to be held at a neutral venue, it is highly unlikely that such a high number of football fans will be attending the game.
It is indeed another dark day for Pakistan football. Just as things were beginning to look brighter for the future of football in the country, the fans have been dealt a major blow. PFF and PSB need to sort out their differences and find common ground for solving this issue. The more we delay this matter, the more Pakistan football is going to suffer. We are already way behind our neighbours in this regard.
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