Pakistan national team's long road to 2026 World Cup

The road to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico is a particularly long one for teams from Asia.

For Pakistan, that path normally comes to an end at the first hurdle but by beating Cambodia in a two-legged tie in the first round of qualifying, the country's football team made history.

It was Pakistan's first ever World Cup qualifying win, their first win at all since 2018 and the first time the team has made the second round. They will now face Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan.

This is all new to a Pakistan team that is usually well out of the picture before qualifying really gets going. After losing in the first game of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in 2015, the "Greenshirts" didn't play a single game for three and a half years. So, getting past Cambodia and into a qualifying group stage with six guaranteed fixtures against Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tajikistan is a big deal.

"It is a massive opportunity, it just means the world to us," Haroon Malik, the head of the Normalisation Committee that currently runs the Pakistan Football Federation, told DW.

"If we can create a winning story that keeps the team active in the next two years, it will put football on the right track and allow our youth to live out their dreams. It is the beginning of the correction that the game requires."

All involved know that there is a lot of correction needed.

Federation infighting

In 2019, football's world governing body, FIFA, ruled that the 2018 elections for the head of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), won by Ashfaq Hussain, were illegitimate as they had been organized by the country's Supreme Court. FIFA established the Normalisation Committee in 2019. The remit was to run the football association while preparing to hold elections. Four years later, Malik is still there but hoping to organize the necessary vote in the first half of 2024.

The task has not been easy, and it was not helped by Hussain and his supporters seizing control of the federation's headquarters in Lahore in 2021. This resulted in a temporary FIFA ban — that was lifted in June 2022.

While the national team has played eight games in 2023, the domestic league has not operated since 2018, with only domestic cup games offering competitive action for players.

"This is a big disadvantage," Torben Witajewski, a 28-year-old German appointed as Pakistan's assistant coach in May, told DW.

"There are not many matches, and there is no league system. Most of the players are in clubs in Pakistan and don't have much experience and are just training."

Fresh hands at the helm

It was not ideal preparation for their tie against Cambodia, while new head coach, Stephen Constantine, was appointed just 13 days before the first leg. The English coach may have extensive international experience that includes seven years in charge of India, when he led the team to the 2019 Asian Cup, but as his assistant pointed out, he has precious little time to work with.

"It is really difficult to come and see players you have never seen, and there are players from Europe," said Witajewski, who has worked with youth teams in Germany as well as Japan and Lebanon. "You can't judge as they arrive just three or four days before the game."

Malik explained that arranging the visa for Constantine had taken longer than expected but that there had been a plan in place.

"Our team has been active all year, and the players understand each other. Having someone like Stephen Constantine, a technically sound, competent coach, gives us a different impetus."

The next stage

Cambodia, ranked 20 places above Pakistan at 177, presented a tough test.

"They have played a lot in the last World Cup cycle, but I don't think there is too much between the teams. We can win," Witajewski said ahead of the contest.

Pakistan midfielder Navid Rahman told DW that "getting into the group stage is the real game changer."

"To play Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan guarantees us fixtures over the next two years, and that is important for Pakistan. There has been no momentum. You need games to figure out your best team and who is on form."

The troubles at the federation do not help, said Rahman, who plays his club football at the semi-pro level in Canada.

"It would be good to find a resolution. The committee has at least tried to put together a team, but there is still that air of uncertainty as we don't know who is running the game," he said.

Malik agrees that having a committee in charge can make it harder for the national team, as its job is to relinquish power as soon as possible.

"It is much harder because a committee's outlook is six months to a year at a time, so to plan something one or two years out is not an ideal circumstance to be in."

Another priority for the Normalisation Committee is to get the national league up and running again.

"We have not set up the competitive framework correctly, so there is no top-tier club competition currently.  That is one of the things we are trying to get done," Malik said.

Popular passion

If the structural issues can be fixed, there is hope for the longer term. Pakistan has a population of over 230 million and a long footballing history. Cricket and field hockey may be more popular, but there is plenty of love for the beautiful game.

"Before I came here, people in Europe told me that football is not important and nobody is interested. That's not true, people are very interested," Witajewski said.

"I hope that we can give the people a national team they deserve, and we can start against Cambodia."

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

Editorial note: This piece was updated after Pakistan's victory over Cambodia.