The Pakistan Women’s National Team will depart for Côte d’Ivoire on Monday to contest the FIFA Series, a landmark moment that signals new international exposure for Pakistan Women and a significant step for the sport at home.
Mejzgaan Orakzai, Director of the Pakistan Football Federation Women’s Football Department, credited PFF leadership for securing the team’s place in the event. She said the participation required high-level backing and singled out the efforts of PFF President Mohsen Gilani for making the trip possible.
Competing in the FIFA Series will see Pakistan face sides beyond its usual confederation rivals, including Turks and Caicos Islands, Mauritania and hosts Ivory Coast. Orakzai highlighted how this exposure to different tactical styles and competitive environments is essential for the development of Pakistan Women at both player and programme level.
Adeel Rizki, head coach, described the squad as “one of the strongest we’ve had” and stressed that selection was based purely on football merit. Rizki rejected any division between diaspora and locally based players, saying the focus is on the characteristics and current form that best fit the team’s game model.
Rizki also laid out the programme’s ambitions: immediate focus on the SAFF Championship, a push for Asian qualification berths, and longer-term targets including Olympic qualifiers and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. He emphasised that with the current group and the all-women unit supporting the programme, those goals are realistic.
Maria Khan, team captain, reinforced that unity is central to the squad’s identity. “We don’t see diaspora versus local. We see Pakistani players ready to represent their country,” she said. On facing higher-ranked opponents such as Ivory Coast, Khan was candid: “The pressure is on Ivory Coast. Not on us.”
Khan also noted a clear sign of progress for Pakistan Women is the presence of players joining directly from professional clubs during FIFA windows, which she described as one of the best indicators of the national team’s growth. Her favourite moment in a Pakistan shirt remains the first time she stood for the national anthem in 2022, an experience she said still resonates.
As the squad heads to West Africa, the trip is framed not just as a competition but as a deliberate investment in experience, tactical variety and the wider ecosystem of women coaches, referees and administrators that the PFF Women’s Football Department is building to support Pakistan Women in the long term.
