Pakistan Women Football Team: The Complete Guide (2026)
FIFA ranking, players, fixtures, results and history of the Pakistan women’s national football team — from the 2022 comeback to the record 8–0 win in 2026.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
The Essentials
Pakistan Women’s Team at a Glance
The numbers that define the team right now.
The Squad
The Team: Coach, Captain and Key Facts
Everything official about the Pakistan women’s national football team in one table.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Association | Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) |
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) — SAFF (South Asia) sub-confederation |
| Head coach | Adeel Rizki |
| Captain | Maria Khan |
| Top scorer | Nadia Khan (6 goals) |
| FIFA code | PAK |
| First international | India 6–0 Pakistan — Dhaka, 31 January 2010 |
| FIFA ranking | 154 (June 2026); highest 106 (December 2013); lowest 161 (March 2023) |
| Biggest win | Pakistan 8–0 Turks & Caicos — Abidjan, 9 April 2026 |
| Best SAFF result | Semi-finals, 2010 (first appearance) |
The team has competed in five editions of the SAFF Women’s Championship but is yet to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup or the FIFA Women’s World Cup — the 2025 qualifying campaign, with wins over Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan, was the closest the team has come to breaking through beyond South Asia. For context on where the men’s team stands, see our Pakistan football team rank guide.
Star Players
Star Players to Know
The names on the teamsheet — from the captain to the record goalscorer.
Maria Khan — Captain
Maria Jamila Khan (born 9 November 1990, Denver, USA) captains Pakistan from midfield. She played friendlies for the UAE before pledging allegiance to Pakistan in 2022, and her stunning long-range free-kick against Saudi Arabia in January 2023 is the team’s most famous goal. Club: Kelana United (Malaysia).
Nadia Khan — Top Scorer
Pakistan’s all-time top scorer with 6 international goals, including one in the record 8–0 win over Turks and Caicos Islands in April 2026. The forward is the team’s most reliable finisher.
The Record-Breakers
Seven different players scored in the 8–0 win: Malik (10’), Mushtaq (12’, 77’), Banaras (31’, 79’), Mahmood (38’), N. Khan (57’) and I. Khan (81’) — a sign of the squad’s growing attacking depth.
Results
Recent Results and Records
From the 7–0 thrashing of Maldives to the record 8–0 — every landmark result since the comeback.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2022 | Pakistan 7–0 Maldives | SAFF Women’s Championship — comeback tournament |
| Jan 2023 | Pakistan 1–0 Comoros | Four-nation cup, Saudi Arabia |
| Jan 2023 | Pakistan 1–1 Saudi Arabia (Maria Khan free-kick) | Four-nation cup — Pakistan finish 2nd |
| 2023 | Pakistan beat Tajikistan | Olympic qualifying tournament — historic win |
| 2025 | Pakistan 2–0 Indonesia | AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers |
| 2025 | Pakistan 2–1 Kyrgyzstan | AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers |
| 9 Apr 2026 | Pakistan 8–0 Turks & Caicos | FIFA Series, Abidjan — biggest win ever |
| 12 Apr 2026 | Mauritania 1–0 Pakistan | FIFA Series, Abidjan |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Ivory Coast 2–0 Pakistan | FIFA Series, Abidjan |
The trajectory is clear: a team that once went years without a fixture is now beating sides from outside South Asia. The 8–0 win over Turks and Caicos Islands at Abidjan’s Alassane Ouattara Stadium in April 2026 — Pakistan’s first-ever FIFA Series appearance — surpassed the previous record, the 7–0 win over Maldives in 2022. Four different players scored in the first half alone. The defeats to Mauritania and Ivory Coast in the same tournament were reminders of the gap to established African sides, but simply playing regular competitive football is itself the revolution: for most of the 2010s, this team barely existed.
History
History: From 2010 to the 2022 Comeback
How Pakistan’s women went from SAFF semi-finalists to exile — and back.
Formation & first SAFF
The team is formed and debuts at the SAFF Women’s Championship in Bangladesh, reaching the semi-finals — still its best finish. The first international is a 6–0 defeat to India in Dhaka.
Early years
Pakistan competes in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 SAFF Championships. The FIFA ranking peaks at 106 in December 2013 — the highest in team history.
The lost years
Administrative turmoil at the PFF — including a FIFA suspension — means the women’s team plays virtually no international football for years. The ranking sinks to a low of 161.
The comeback
Pakistan returns at the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 in Nepal and announces it with a 7–0 win over Maldives, then the biggest victory in team history.
Saudi Arabia & Olympic qualifiers
A four-nation tournament in Saudi Arabia brings a win over Comoros and a famous draw with the hosts — Maria Khan’s audacious long-range free-kick. Later, a historic win over Tajikistan in Olympic qualifying.
Asian Cup qualifiers
Wins over Indonesia (2–0) and Kyrgyzstan (2–1) in AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying — Pakistan competing, and winning, beyond South Asia.
FIFA Series debut
First-ever FIFA Series appearance in Abidjan: a record 8–0 win over Turks and Caicos Islands, followed by narrow defeats to Mauritania and Ivory Coast.
Follow
How to Watch and Follow the Team
Never miss a match — where Pakistan’s women play and where to watch.
Pakistan’s women play their home fixtures in Pakistan (the Jinnah Sports Stadium in Islamabad has hosted the team) and tour for SAFF, AFC and FIFA Series events. The most reliable way to follow them is the Pakistan Football Federation’s official channels, which announce squads and fixtures, and FIFA+, which has streamed FIFA Series matches free worldwide. SAFF Championship matches are typically broadcast across South Asian sports networks and streamed online. Young players dreaming of the green shirt should read our guide to the best football academies in Pakistan and how to join a football club in Pakistan.
PFF channels
Squad announcements, fixtures and results — straight from the federation.
FIFA+
Free global streaming of FIFA Series matches, including Pakistan’s 2026 debut.
SAFF broadcasts
South Asian sports networks and streams carry the SAFF Women’s Championship.
Diaspora
The Diaspora Pipeline: Talent From Abroad
How overseas Pakistanis transformed the national team — the Maria Khan story.
The single biggest reason for Pakistan’s resurgence is the diaspora pipeline. Captain Maria Jamila Khan — born 9 November 1990 in Denver, Colorado, to a Pakistani-American father — played college football for the Denver Pioneers, then moved to the United Arab Emirates, where she even played six friendlies for the UAE national team. In 2022 she pledged her international future to Pakistan, bringing professional standards, tactical maturity and a winning mentality to a squad starved of top-level experience. Her club journey since — WAPDA in Pakistan, Eastern Flames in the Saudi Women’s Premier League (2023–2025), then Ho Chi Minh City and Kelana United in Southeast Asia — shows the level Pakistan’s best can reach. She is not alone: the PFF has actively recruited eligible players from the Pakistani diaspora in England, North America and the Gulf, following the model that rebuilt the men’s team. The blend of battle-hardened overseas professionals and hungry home-grown talent is the formula behind the 2025 qualifying wins and the 2026 FIFA Series breakthrough.
Domestic Game
Domestic Women’s Football in Pakistan
Where the next Maria Khans come from — the leagues and clubs feeding the national team.
The PFF organises the National Women Football Championship, the country’s premier women’s competition, contested by departmental sides — WAPDA and Pakistan Army have long been the strongest — alongside regional and club teams. Pioneering clubs such as Karachi’s Diya WFC have developed girls’ football for two decades, and a new generation of academies is spreading the game to Lahore, Islamabad and beyond. The honest assessment, echoed by analysts, is that the domestic game still lacks what the national team needs most: a professional, televised women’s league with regular fixtures and proper wages. Until that exists, the national team will keep depending on the diaspora pipeline and a small core of departmental players. The good news is that participation is growing fast — school and university tournaments are producing more players every year, and the 2026 FIFA Series exposure has given young girls visible role models for the first time. Parents and players can start with our guide to football academies and how to join a club.
FAQs
Pakistan Women Football Team: FAQs
The questions fans ask most — answered.
What is the Pakistan women’s football team’s FIFA ranking?
Pakistan’s women are ranked 154th in the FIFA women’s rankings (June 2026). Their highest ranking was 106th in December 2013; their lowest was 161st in March 2023.
Who is the captain of the Pakistan women’s football team?
Maria Jamila Khan — a midfielder born in Denver, USA, in 1990, who played friendlies for the UAE before switching allegiance to Pakistan in 2022.
Who coaches the Pakistan women’s football team?
Adeel Rizki is the head coach of the Pakistan women’s national football team.
What is Pakistan women’s biggest ever win?
An 8–0 victory over Turks and Caicos Islands at the FIFA Series in Abidjan on 9 April 2026 — surpassing the 7–0 win over Maldives at the 2022 SAFF Championship.
Has Pakistan’s women’s team qualified for the World Cup?
Not yet. Pakistan’s women have never qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup or the AFC Women’s Asian Cup — though the 2025 qualifying wins over Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan were a step closer.
Where can I watch Pakistan women’s football team matches?
Follow the PFF’s official channels for fixtures; FIFA Series matches stream free on FIFA+, and SAFF Championship games are broadcast on South Asian sports networks.
More Pakistan Football Guides
Rankings, clubs, academies and leagues — everything about football in Pakistan.
Feature Pakistan’s sports guides cover Pakistani football in plain language — written for fans, players and parents, and verified against FIFA, AFC and PFF records. Results and rankings above are current as of June–October 2026. Featured image: Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, photo by Zainii7).