ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has unveiled the final national men’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Round 2 matches against Jordan, with diaspora players slated to join the team on Monday.
Scheduled for March 21, Pakistan will face Jordan at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad, followed by an away fixture in Jordan on March 26. This announcement comes after Pakistan secured their maiden FIFA World Cup qualifier victory against Cambodia with a 1-0 win in Islamabad in October 2023, although they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the subsequent round.
In a statement, the PFF confirmed the final squad for the upcoming matches and revealed that the week-long camp for the Jordan fixtures will be relocated from Lahore to Islamabad on Sunday.
With 36 teams competing in nine groups of four teams each, the top two teams from each group in the second round will advance to the third round. In the third round, 18 nations will be divided into three groups of six, with the top two from each group securing their place at FIFA World Cup 2026.
Acknowledging the tough challenge ahead against Jordan, Pakistan men’s football team coach Stephen Constantine affirmed that his team would not back down. Despite the limited preparation time, Constantine vowed that Pakistan would put up a strong fight against one of Asia’s top sides.
“We have very little time to prepare for such a big game. And unfortunately, we are going to play one of the best teams [Jordan] in Asia on 21st March,” Constantine stated. “We will fight against Jordan and not lay down.”
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Yousuf Butt (D), Saqib Hanif, Abdul Basit and Hassan Ali
Defenders: Easah Suliman (D), Abdullah Iqbal (D), Mamoon Musa, Haseeb Khan, Mohammad Saddam, Mohammad Sohail, Omer Rao, Mohammad Fazal (D) and Mohammad Adeel
Midfielders: Rahis Nabi (D), Harun Hamid (D), Alamgir Ghazi, Rajab Ali, Ali Uzair, Shayek Dost and Abdul Samad (D)
Forwards: FareedUllah, Waleed Khan, Imran Kayani (D) and Adeel Younis
