Pakistan football team is set to lock horns with Cambodia in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier. The first leg of the match is scheduled to take place at the iconic Olympic Stadium in Cambodia on 12th October.
The Shaheens have not had the best of times in the qualifiers in the past and have never made it past the first round. In the previous qualifying campaign, they lost to the same opposition by a margin of 4-1 on aggregate. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s new head coach, Stephen Constantine, will be hoping to turn the fortunes of his side this time around.
Pakistan’s Squad for the FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Having been appointed Pakistan’s head coach, just weeks before the beginning of the World Cup qualifying campaign, Stephen Constantine had the privilege of selecting the 25-man squad to face Cambodia. The Englishman made his intentions clear from the onset by omitting some underperforming players from the squad.
This included the veteran forward, Hassan Bashir who was on the scoresheet the last time the two Asian sides met. The 36-year-old is currently the highest goal scorer for the Shaheens among the active players, with nine goals to his name. Adnan Muhammad is another diaspora player who has been dropped by the new manager. This was inevitable given his poor run of form in the SAFF Championship and the 4 Nations Cup.
But the omission of Abdullah Shah from the squad has raised a few eyebrows. The 22-year-old was starting to settle in well in the backline of the Shaheens. Nevertheless, it is a bold move by Stephen and only time will tell whether he made the right call or not. On the other hand, some players from the Under 23 squad that participated in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers were drafted into the senior squad.
The 25-man squad named by Constantine for the FIFA World Cup Qualifier is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Yousaf Butt, Usman Ali, and Salman ul Haq
Defenders: Easah Suliman (captain), Mamoon Moosa Khan, Mohibullah, Sohail Khan, Ali Khan Niazi, Umar Hayat, Abdullah Iqbal, and Juniad Shah
Midfielders: Ali Uzair, Rajab Ali, Nizamuddin, Rahis Nabi, Harun Hamid, and Alamgir Ghazi
Forwards: Waleed Khan, Otis Khan, Moin Ahmed, Mohammad Waheed, Yousuf, Fareed Khan, Abdul Samad, and Shayak Dost.
What are Pakistan’s chances of advancing to the next round?
Ranked 177th in the FIFA rankings Cambodia is going to be a very tough proposition for the Shaheens who are currently ranked 197th among 211 nations. The Cambodians will be in high spirits after impressive performances against Hong Kong and Macau in their previous two international friendly games.
Cambodia has a competitive league of their own, hence their players have the luxury of playing week in, and week out. Unfortunately, the local Pakistan players are unable to play competitive games regularly due to the absence of the football league. This may hurt the chances of Shaheen advancing to the next round. But the Men in Green have featured in plenty of international games in this calendar year. Constantine will be hopeful that these players can utilize the experience gained during those games effectively.
Since the FIFA ban was lifted off Pakistan, the Shaheens have featured in eight international games and have lost each of them. Such a poor run of form led to the sacking of Shahzad Anwar. But the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has acted swiftly by replacing him with Stephen Constantine.
The Englishman has vast experience in managing subcontinent teams. He will be accompanied by Shadab Iftikhar as Assistant Manager, another Englishman who recently led the Pakistan Under 19 team to the SAFF Under 19 Championship finals. The PFF has also appointed a foreign goalkeeping and fitness coach. Appointment of these individuals will surely help to groom the local talent of Pakistan and will help in uplifting their morale.
The Shaheens have plenty of diaspora players in their squad. Stephen will be hopeful that these players can step up and guide the men in green to victory. Otis Khan and Easah Suliman are going to be the ones to watch as Pakistan tries to enter the history books by winning its first FIFA World Cup qualifying tie.
