Pakistan's long-awaited futsal debut at the Asian Cup will have to wait as the hosts Saudi Arabia have been forced to postpone the fixtures.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a change in the schedule for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers Group D, originally set to be played in Saudi Arabia this month.
Due to unforeseen challenges communicated by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), on 11 September 2025, the fixtures have been postponed.
The matches will now be staged from October 18 to 22, 2025.
An updated match schedule, including confirmed kick-off times and venues will be announced in due time.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had named the squad for the event on September 8.
It remains a historic announcement as this batch of players are the first ones to ever represent the country in AFC futsal.
The national futsal team already commenced its training camp at the Liaquat Gymnasium, Jinnah Sports Complex in Islamabad under the leadership of Head Coach Sakhawat Ali.
Pakistan has been placed in Group D alongside Iraq, Chinese Taipei and host nation Saudi Arabia.
The squad
Goalkeepers : Muhammad Zaid, Muhammad Tahir
Anchor (Defenders) : Muhammad Humza Khan, Hamza Nusrat, Zohair Altaf, Asif Ahmad
Right Wing: Hassaan Zafar, Abdul Hannan, Yousaf Ahmad, Shams Taj
Left Wing: Moeez Sajjad, Muhammad Bin Masud, Ariz Mahmood
Pivot (Strikers): Muhammad Adan, Muhammad Ali Riaz Khan, Zaid Ullah Khan
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