The Pakistan women's national football team is the female representative in international

women's football Women's football most often refers to: * Women's association football Women's football may also refer to: * Women's gridiron football * Women's Australian rules football * Ladies' Gaelic football * Women's rugby league * Women's rugby union ...

for

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The team was formed in 2010 and has not yet qualified for the

AFC Women's Asian Cup The AFC Women's Asian Cup (formerly known as the AFC Women's Championship) is a quadrennial competition in women's football for national teams which belong to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the oldest women's international football ...

or the

FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior list of women's national association football teams, women's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Footb ...

, but has competed in four editions of the biennial

SAFF Women's Championship The SAFF Women's Championship, also called the ''South Asian Football Federation Women's Cup'', is a competition for women's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). All seven members are eligible to partici ...

. Its under-19 and under-16 teams have competed in the qualification rounds of the

2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship The 2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship was the 10th edition of the AFC U-19 Women's Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the women's under-19 national teams ...

and

2019 AFC U-16 Women's Championship The 2019 AFC U-16 Women's Championship was the 8th edition of the AFC U-16 Women's Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the women's under-16 national teams of ...

, respectively.

History

Beginnings (2010–2011)

The Pakistan women's national football team made its international debut at the 11th South Asian Games in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Ishrat Fatima of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

's Sports Sciences Department (

Punjab University Punjab University may refer to: India * Punjab Agricultural University, a state agricultural university in Ludhiana, Punjab * I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, a state university in Kapurthala, Punjab * Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Techn ...

) was the first captain of the team. The team played their first match on 31 January 2010 against

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

at the

Bangabandhu National Stadium National Stadium, Dhaka () is a multipurpose sports arena and the national stadium of Bangladesh. Located in the Motijheel area of Dhaka, it is predominantly used for Association football, football matches and serves as the home venue for the B ...

. It also faced off against

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

in that tournament, winning against Sri Lanka via

walkover John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins (athlete)">William Robbins to refuse to race in protest. A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over"), is awarded to the opposing team/player, etc., if there are no other players avail ...

while losing the other two fixtures. It came in 4th out of 5 teams. In November 2010,

Tariq Lutfi Umar Farooq Tariq Lutfi (born 20 September 1951) is a Pakistani football coach and former midfielder. Lutfi has the distinction of being the first-ever FIFA Coaching Instructor from South Asia, and has been described as one of the most experience ...

was appointed as the coach of the team. In December 2010, the team, under Lutfi and the new captain, Sana Mehmood ( Young Rising Star's captain and

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

), participated in the inaugural SAFF Women's Championship held at Cox's Bazar Stadium. It stood second Group B, winning against the Maldives (2–1) and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

(3–0), while losing heavily to

(0–12). Pakistan lost 8–0 against

in the semifinal and were thus eliminated. In this tournament, Mehwish Khan became the first ever goal-scorer for Pakistan (in the match against Maldives). As a result of these official matches, Pakistan entered the

FIFA Women's World Rankings The FIFA Women's World Ranking is a ranking system for women's national teams in association football (commonly known as football or soccer) published by the international governing body FIFA. , the United States is ranked #1. The rankings were ...

for the first time on 18 March 2011, placing 121st in the World and 22nd in Asia.

Further participations (2011–2014)

In May 2011, four members of the team ( Abiha Haidar, Roshnan Ali, Sara Mumtaz and coach Ishrat Fatima) went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for a two-week FIFA Women's World Cup Developing Program. They attended seminars, programs, meetings, and practice sessions in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and visited various local colleges and universities. The group was also hosted for a special dinner at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

by the US Government for boosting bilateral relations through sports promotion and development. In September 2012, the team participated in the 2nd SAFF Women's Championship held in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. Pakistan lost against Nepal (0–8) and Afghanistan (0–4) before earning a consolation win against the Maldives (3–0). Pakistan played its first international friendly series against

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

in October 2014. Three matches were played at the

Bahrain National Stadium Bahrain National Stadium (; Arabic transliteration, transliterated: Stād al-Bahrayn al-Watanī) is the national stadium of Bahrain, located in Riffa. It can accommodate 24,000 spectators and is used mostly for Association football, football mat ...

Riffa Riffa () is the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Bahrain in terms of area. The city is divided into three parts: , and . All three parts are located in the Southern Governorate. The city is growing fast: during the 2001 census, the p ...

, with the home side winning all of them. These matches were organized to help prepare the team for the upcoming 3rd edition of the

. Pakistan hosted the

2014 SAFF Women's Championship The 2014 SAFF Women's Championship was an association football tournament for women's national teams organised by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). It was the third edition of the tournament since the first one in 2010. The competition ...

in November 2014, with all matches being held at

Jinnah Sports Stadium Jinnah Sports Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home venue for the Pakistan national football team. The stadium has a capacity of 48,700 people, and is ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. The hosts lost against

(1–2) and

(0–2), but won against

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

(4–1), scoring four goals in a match for the first time.

Hiatus (2014–2022)

From November 2014 to September 2022, the team saw no action due to the

Pakistan Football Federation The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is the national governing body of association football in Football in Pakistan, Pakistan. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of Association football, football, and affiliated to the A ...

(PFF) being suspended several times by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

for infighting and third-party interference. The suspensions were removed occasionally, but not in time for Pakistan to participate in the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

editions of the SAFF Women's Championship, and in the

and

editions of the

South Asian Games The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...

. As a result of no matches being played, the team lost its FIFA ranking.

Return (2022–present)

On 30 June 2022, FIFA lifted PFF's suspension after a period of 14 months. As a result, PFF was able to send in Pakistan women's team's entry for the

2022 SAFF Women's Championship The 2022 SAFF Women's Championship was the 6th edition of the SAFF Women's Championship, the international women's football championship contested by the national teams of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament was played f ...

. The entry was confirmed on 9 July 2022, which meant that the team would be playing its first international match since 2014. A 35-member training camp was held at Lahore in August 2022 under new head coach Adeel Rizki, after which a 23-member squad was announced on 24 August 2022. Hajra Khan,

Malika-e-Noor Malika-e-Noor (born 11 July 1994) is a Pakistani Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), defender or Midfielder, attacking midfielder for Pakistan Army W.F.C., Pakistan Army. She also served as Captain (asso ...

, Syeda Mahpara, Nisha Ashraf, Roshnan Ali, Sahar Zaman, and Zulfia Nazir were the only players who were part of the team that last played in 2014; the rest were given their first call-ups. Two overseas players,

Nadia Khan Nadia Khan (born 22 May 1962) is a Pakistani television actress, presenter and producer. She is best known for the '' Nadia Khan Show'', a morning TV programme, and for OutStyle, her YouTube channel. She is known for her role in the PTV seri ...

and Maria Khan, were also included for the first time. The captaincy was handed over to Maria Khan from Hajra Khan, while Malika-e-Noor was named the vice-captain. Pakistan made its return to international football on 7 September 2022, with 58th-ranked India being its first opponent in the group stage of the

at the

Dasharath Rangasala Dasharath Rangasala ( ; ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. It is named after Dasharath Chand, one of the four great martyrs of Nepal. The stadium is used mostly for football matches and cultural programmes. The stadium ha ...

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

. Pakistan lost 3–0, which was followed by a 6–0 loss against Nepal in the next match which meant the team could not progress to the semifinals. In the final group stage fixture, Pakistan recorded its biggest win when it defeated Maldives 7–0, courtesy of four goals by

, who became the team's joint record goal scorer. It was also the first time a player had scored three goals or more in a match for Pakistan. In January 2023, the team visited

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

for a four-nation international friendly tournament. It won its first game 1–0 against

Comoros The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

, the first time it faced a non- Asian opponent, lost the next fixture 2–1 against

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

, before drawing the final match 1–1 against hosts

. With four points in three matches, Pakistan finished as runners-up at the tournament, with captain Maria Khan being declared as the player of the tournament. In April 2023, Pakistan played its first competitive fixtures when it made its first appearance in the first round of the

2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament The 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament was the sixth edition of the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the quadrennial international football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to determine which wo ...

. The team lost 4–0 against

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and 2–0 against

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, but won 1–0 against hosts

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. The team was to visit

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in July for two friendly fixtures against the host team. However, their departure was delayed due to visa issues which meant only one match could be played. Singapore won that match 1–0. In August, it was confirmed that Pakistan will participate in a six-team tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia in September.

Results and fixtures

* The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. ;Legend

2024

2025

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Coaching history

, ''after the match against ''.

Players

Current squad

The following 22 players were called up for the friendly games against in December 2024. ''Caps and goals updated 20 October 2024 following the match against .''

Recent call-ups

* The following players have been called up to Pakistan within the last 12 months.

Player records

Top goalscorers

:''Players in bold are still active with Pakistan.''

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

Olympics Women's Football Tournament

AFC Women's Asian Cup

:''*Draws include knockout matches decided on

penalty kicks A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. T ...

.''

SAFF Women's Championship

South Asian Games

Head-to-head record

; Key The following table shows Pakistan's all-time official international record per opponent: Last updated: Pakistan vs

7 December r 2024.

References

External links

Pakistan women's national football team

Profile at FIFA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistan Women's National Football Team Women's football in Pakistan Women's national sports teams of Pakistan Asian women's national association football teams