The PFF National Challenge Cup is an annual semi-professional

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

competition in men's domestic Pakistani football within the

Pakistan football league system The Pakistan football league system consists of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Pakistan. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues. The system See also * Football in Pakistan Association ...

. It is organized by and named after the

Pakistan Football Federation Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is the governing body of association football in Pakistan. Founded in 1947, its headquarters are at the FIFA Football House in Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab near Punjab Stadium. The federation manages the ...

Khan Research Laboratories The Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, ( ur, ) or KRL for short, is a federally funded, multi-program national research institute and national laboratory site primarily dedicated to uranium enrichment, supercomputing and fluid mechanics. It ...

have won the most titles (six).

WAPDA The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA; ur, ) is a government-owned public utility maintaining power and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power. WAPDA includes Tarbela and Mangla dams among its resources. ...

are the current champions, winning the 2020 edition courtesy of a 1-0 win against SSGC F.C. in the final.

Background

Although it is an annual competition, it has not been held on a few occasions. The competition was not held from (1980–83, 1986, 1988–89, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006–07, 2017, 2021–22). The tournament has seen various name changes throughout its establishment.

Names

Finals

;Wins by club

Results by team

Since its establishment, the National Challenge Cup has been won by 15 different teams. Teams shown in ''italics'' are no longer in existence.

Giant killings

The possibility of unlikely victories in the earlier rounds of the competition, where lower ranked teams beat higher placed opposition in what is known as a "giant killing", is much anticipated by the public. Such upsets are considered an integral part of the tradition and prestige of the competition, and the attention gained by giant-killing teams can be as great as that for winners of the cup. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, non-league side Sindh Government Press defeated top-flight

National Bank In banking, the term national bank carries several meanings: * a bank owned by the state * an ordinary private bank which operates nationally (as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally) * in the United States, an ordinary p ...

3–2 in group stages. In

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, second-division club Ashraf Sugar Mills defeated

Pakistan Premier League The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; ur, پاکستان پریمیئر لیگ) is a Pakistani professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Pakistan football league system, it is the country's primary football compe ...

winners

WAPDA F.C. The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA; ur, ) is a government-owned public utility maintaining power and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power. WAPDA includes Tarbela and Mangla dams among its resources. ...

1–0, and they repeated the feat again in the group stages, defeating National Bank from Pakistan Premier League 2–0, as they finished top of the group. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, second-division side Pakistan Public Work Department defeated

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

2–0 in group stages. In

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, Pak Afghan Clearing defeated

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

winners and defending champions

2–1.

Records and statistics

Final

Team

*Most wins: 6,

(

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

) *Most consecutive wins: 4,

(

) *Most consecutive/uninterrupted years as National Football Challenge Cup Champions: 6, Sindh Government Press (1979–1984) *Most Final appearances without ever winning: 4,

K-Electric Electric (KE) ( ur, ) (formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company / Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited) is a Pakistani investor-owned utility company based in Karachi. K-Electric is a privately owned and vertically-integrated e ...

(

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) *Most Final appearances without ever losing: 4,

(

) *Most Final appearances without losing (streak): 4,

(

) * Longest gap between wins: 20 years,

(1993–2013) *Biggest win: 4 goals,

4–0

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...

(

) *Most goals in a final: 4, joint record: **Allied Bank 3–1

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

(

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

) **

3–1

(

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

) **

4–0

(

) **

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

3–1

(

) *Most defeats: 4, joint record: **

(

) **

(1984, 2002, 2005,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

)

Individual

*Most wins by manager: 4,

Tariq Lutfi Umar Farooq Tariq Lutfi (born 20 September 1951) is a Pakistani coach and former player. He is the manager of Sui Southern Gas. He played his entire career at Pakistan Airlines. He was also the caretaker manager of the Pakistan national footbal ...

(

) (

), *Most goals (one final): 2, joint record: **Sajjad Ahmed (

) (

) **Izharullah Khan (

) (

) *Most finals scored in: 2, joint record: ** Haroon Yousaf (Allied Bank) (1 each in

& 1998) **Muhammad Mujahid (

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

) (1 each in

) *Most goals scored: 23,

Muhammad Rasool Muhammad Rasool (born May 23, 1985) is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a forward. Rasool won the league with K-Electric in 2014–15 season. Rasool finished season twice as the top scorer, first with Khan Research Laboratories in ...

All rounds

*Biggest win: City Football Club 2–18 Wohaib (2005) *Biggest away win: City Football Club 2–18 Wohaib (2005) *Most clubs competing for trophy in a season: 28 (

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

) *Longest penalty shootout: 5 penalties each, Allied Bank ''v.''

(1999; Allied Bank won 5–4) *Most rounds played in a season: 3, for: **Bhatti United (

: Qualifying Round – Knockout stages, 1st–3rd Rounds) **

Karachi United Karachi United Football Club is a Pakistani professional football club based in Clifton, Karachi. Karachi United competed in the Karachi Football League, one of the top leagues of Karachi. It currently competes in the Pakistan Premier League, th ...

(

: Qualifying Round – Knockout stages, 1st–3rd Rounds) **

Sui Southern Gas The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), () formerly known as Sui Gas Transmission Company Limited, is a Pakistani natural gas supply company based in Karachi, Pakistan. History It was formed in 1955. The company in its present shape was formed o ...

(

: Qualifying Round – Knockout stages, 1st–3rd Rounds) *Most games played in a season: 7,

(

: three matches Qualifying Group stages, three Proper Group stages, one Quarter-finals) *Fastest goal: 52 seconds, Tariq Badal (for Gwadar Port Authority ''v.''

, Group Stages, 13 March 2012) *Most consecutive games without defeat: 25,

( Group Stages, 2010 through Group stage, 2013. Won three National Football Challenge Cup.) *Most consecutive games without defeat: 25,

( Group Stages, 2010 through Group stage, 2013. Won three National Football Challenge Cup.) *Fastest hat-trick: 5 minutes 51 sec, Umair Ali (for Higher Education Commission ''v.'' DFA Bahawalpur, Group Stages, 19 May 2013) *Most goals by a player in a single National Challenge Cup season: 10,

(for

. *Most goals by a player in a single National Challenge Cup game: 6, joint-record: ** Kaleemullah Khan (for

in 8–0 defeat of Ashraf Sugar Mills, Group Stages, 16 May 2013) **Umair Ali (for Higher Education Commission ''v.'' DFA Bahawalpur, Group Stages, 19 May 2013) **Muhammad Waheed (for

Civil Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

''v.''

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...

, Group stage, 22 July 2019)

References

{{National football Cups (AFC region) Football competitions in Pakistan National association football cups