Pakistan’s men’s national football team has been officially withdrawn from the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers due to FIFA’s suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
The PFF released a statement on Monday expressing its disappointment:
“The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) regrets to inform the football fraternity that the national team will be unable to participate in the final round of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers.”
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had previously issued a warning, making it clear that if FIFA’s suspension was not lifted by March 4, 2025—just three weeks before Pakistan’s scheduled match against Syria—the team would be considered withdrawn from the competition.
The AFC’s letter to the PFF Normalisation Committee stated:
“In order to have sufficient time to prepare for the upcoming first match of AC27QFR on 25 March 2025 with all Competition requirements… the PFF’s men’s national team will be considered to have withdrawn from the competition should the suspension on PFF not be lifted by Tuesday, 4 March 2025.”
Pakistan had been placed in Group E, alongside Syria, Myanmar, and Afghanistan, with its opening fixture set for March 25, 2025.
The suspension, which was imposed on February 6, 2025, stripped the PFF of its membership rights, effectively preventing all Pakistani teams and clubs from participating in international competitions.
This crisis has already impacted the Pakistan women’s national football team, which withdrew from the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, set to begin in June.
FIFA has since extended the mandate of the PFF Normalisation Committee until July 31, 2025, appointing Saud Azim Hashimi as the new chairman effective February 16, 2025. Hashimi will succeed Haroon Malik, whose term concludes on February 15.
Committee members Muhammad Shahid Niaz Khokhar and Haris Azmat will continue their roles alongside Hashimi.
Credit Photo : PFF
