Pakistan ruled out of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after Fifa ban

KARACHI: The Pakistan men’s national football team has been officially excluded from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers after FIFA suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).

The PFF announced the news on Monday, expressing regret over the team’s inability to participate in the qualifiers. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had previously warned that if FIFA’s suspension of the PFF wasn’t lifted by March 4, Pakistan would be considered withdrawn from the competition.

In a letter to the PFF’s Normalisation Committee, the AFC stressed the urgency of resolving the suspension, stating that Pakistan would not be eligible to play their first qualifier against Syria on March 25 unless the suspension was lifted by March 4.

Pakistan was placed in Group E with Syria, Myanmar, and Afghanistan for the qualifiers. “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 the PFF’s men’s national team will be considered to have withdrawn from the Competition should the suspension on PFF not be lifted by Tuesday, 4 March 2025,” the letter stated.

The FIFA suspension, imposed on February 6, has stripped the PFF of all membership rights, preventing Pakistani teams and clubs from competing internationally.