The Pakistan Women’s National Team will depart for Côte d’Ivoire on Monday to take part in the FIFA Series, a landmark step for women’s football in Pakistan that the coaching staff and players say is about competing to win.
At a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, the team’s management and leadership made clear that this first appearance at a FIFA event was achieved through concerted efforts at the highest level of the federation. Mejzgaan Orakzai, Director of the PFF Women’s Football Department, thanked PFF President Mohsen Gilani for his personal role in securing the team’s participation and stressed that the opportunity required deliberate pursuit and federation collaboration.
Playing in the FIFA Series places Pakistan against sides from outside its usual region, including Turks and Caicos Islands, Mauritania and Ivory Coast. Orakzai said this exposure to different tactical styles and international competition is vital for the squad’s development and for widening global connections that will benefit the programme long term. She also highlighted that the PFF Women’s Football Department, run entirely by women, is building pathways for female coaches, referees, administrators and managers across the sport.
Adeel Rizki, the head coach, described the preparations as strong and called this “one of the strongest squads we’ve had so far.” He emphasised selection on footballing merit and rejected any divide between diaspora and locally based players, saying, “There is no diaspora versus local. We look at the characteristics and character of the player, their current form, the opponents we are facing, and which players best suit our game model.” Rizki outlined a clear roadmap with short-term targets such as the SAFF Championship, followed by Asian qualifiers and longer-term aims including Olympic qualification and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Maria Khan, the team captain, underlined unity across the squad and support staff, stating that every player is a Pakistani aiming to represent the country with pride. On facing higher-ranked teams like Ivory Coast, she was unflinching: “Playing higher-ranked opponents is nothing new to us… The pressure is on Ivory Coast. It’s not on us.” Khan also noted a significant milestone for the programme in having players join directly from fully professional clubs during FIFA windows, a sign of progress for the national team. When asked about a personal highlight in a Pakistan shirt she recalled 2022, saying lining up for the national anthem for the first time “just hits different.”
