The Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee revealed on Saturday the team roster for the first round of the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying tournament, with England-based forward Nadia Khan being a significant absentee.
Forward Isra Khan, who plays in the United States, will replace Nadia, who suffered an injury during the team’s preparatory camp in Dubai.
Midfielder Maria Khan will maintain her role as captain, a position she has held since the national team’s eight-year international hiatus ended at the SAFF Women’s Championship last year.
Pakistan will compete against host Tajikistan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong in Group ‘E’ of the qualifiers, with matches taking place at Dushanbe’s Hisor Central Stadium. Only the group winners will proceed to the second round of qualifying.
Pakistan’s most recent international competition was the Four-Nation Cup in Saudi Arabia. They placed second while missing several foreign-based players, including Nadia, as they did not possess Pakistani passports.
Whether Adeel Rizki will serve as the team’s head coach remains unclear, although Adeel has a B-license, Asian Football Confederation regulations stipulate that a Pro-license coach must lead the team.
Pakistan will play its first match against the Philippines on April 5, followed by Hong Kong on April 8. Their final match will be against Tajikistan on April 11.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Fatima Naz, Nisha Ashraf, Rumaysa Khan
Defenders: Malika-e-Noor, Mishal Bhatti, Nizalia Siddiqui, Sahiba Sherdil, Sara Khan, Sophiya Qureshi
Midfielders: Aliza Sabir, Amina Hanif, Anushey Usman, Maria Khan, Marvi Baig, Rameen Fareed, Suha Hirani;
Forwards: Alia Sadiq, Anmool Hira, Isra Khan, Naqiyah Ali, Sanober Abdul Sattar, Zahmena Malik.
