Pakistani footballers set to debut in AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers

An undated image of Pakistan nationwide Futsal workforce. — Instagram/PakistanNationalFutsalTeam/File

Pakistani footballers are set to mark a historic second within the nation’s sports activities area by that includes within the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers for the very first time.

With Pakistan becoming a member of 31 different nations within the competitors, the event will begin with the draw on June 26 on the AFC Home in Kuala Lumpur. 

The 32 taking part groups can be cut up into eight teams — seven teams of 4 and one group of three — for the qualifiers, which can be held in a centralised league format from September 20 to September 24.

Pakistan has been positioned in Pot 4, together with different debutant or lower-ranked groups. The seeding is predicated on the most recent FIFA Futsal Males’s World Rankings, the place Pakistan is at the moment unranked. 

This makes the upcoming qualifiers a priceless alternative to realize worldwide publicity and gather rating factors.

The highest workforce from every group, together with the seven finest second-placed sides, will qualify for the 18th version of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Finals in Indonesia, scheduled for January 2026.

The competitors can be fierce, with futsal giants like Iran (World No 5), Thailand (11), Japan (13), and Uzbekistan (23) among the many top-seeded groups. These nations have maintained a constant presence in each version of the event since its inception in 1999.

The nationwide facet, in the meantime, can be aiming to drag off a couple of surprises and construct a basis for long-term progress within the Asian futsal panorama.

The group draw, scheduled for 3 PM Malaysia time on June 26, has generated appreciable anticipation as Pakistan awaits its first style of continental futsal competitors.

Pots for Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers

Hosts Pot: Thailand (11; Seeding: 1), Kuwait (40; 1), Tajikistan (44; 2), Kyrgyz Republic (48; 2), Saudi Arabia (50; 2), Myanmar (56; 2), Malaysia (76; 2), China PR (79; 3)

Pot 1: Islamic Republic of Iran (5), Thailand (11), Japan (13), Uzbekistan (23), Vietnam (31), Afghanistan (33), Kuwait (40), Iraq (41)

Pot 2: Tajikistan (44), Kyrgyz Republic (48), Saudi Arabia (50), Australia (52), Lebanon (53), Myanmar (56), Korea Republic (70), Malaysia (76)

Pot 3: China PR (79), Chinese language Taipei (82), Bahrain (83), United Arab Emirates (97), Maldives (106), Timor-Leste (109), Mongolia (112), Macau (115)

Pot 4: Hong Kong, China (118), Brunei Darussalam (119), Palestine (121), Cambodia (125), India (135), Bangladesh (unranked), Pakistan (unranked)