KARACHI (Kashmir English): Pakistan could soon take part in the FIFA World Series, giving the national football team a rare chance to play against countries outside of Asia. The possibility was discussed during a recent meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Mohsen Gilani in Miami.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. It marked Gilani’s first appearance at a FIFA event after winning the long-delayed PFF elections. According to FIFA, both leaders discussed key development goals for Pakistani football, including women’s football and the men’s team’s potential participation in the FIFA World Series 2025.
“We touched upon key topics such as the development of the women’s football team and the men’s team potentially participating in next year’s FIFA Series,” Infantino was quoted as saying.
Pakistan’s national team has struggled with international exposure due to long-standing internal issues within the PFF. The federation was run by a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee for six years, and although the team made history by winning its first-ever World Cup qualifier in 2023, matches outside Asia have remained rare.
Head coach Stephen Constantine has often urged the need for friendly matches to help prepare the team. The FIFA World Series offers just that – a chance to face unfamiliar and diverse opponents from different continents.
Last year’s pilot edition saw 24 teams from six confederations take part across seven series with all inter-confederation fixtures in six of them being the first international meeting between the sides.
They included Cambodia, the side Pakistan beat to create World Cup qualifying history, facing Equatorial Guinea and Guyana and Mongolia taking on Azerbaijan and Tanzania.
Matches in FIFA World Series will likely come well after Pakistan’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign ends, with the national team’s chances of making it to the continent’s premier tournament looking slim after two straight defeats.
But FIFA World Series matches will likely help the team gain some competitive action before they embark on qualifying for the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino added that his meeting with Mohsen was aimed at understanding the PFF chief’s football development plans and “how FIFA can continue to support the sport in his country”.
The FIFA president hoped that Mohsen’s vast experience of working in the game will take football forward in Pakistan.
“President Gilani brings significant experience and football management know-how to the role, and I look forward to seeing our game take positive strides under his leadership,” Infantino said.
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