Pakistan to participate in SAFF U16, U19 Championships
Camp for the U16 team will be held next month
KARACHI: The Pakistan football team will participate in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U16 and U19 championships this year.
The draws for the events took place on Saturday with Pakistan placed in Group B in the U16 event alongside Bhutan and Maldives. Group A includes India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile in the U19 event, Pakistan are in Group A with Nepal and Maldives. Group B includes India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
The U16 event will take place from September 1 to 11 in Bhutan. On the other hand, the U19 tournament is in Nepal from September 21 to 30.
According to sources within the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), the camp for the U16 team will be held next month. Coach Sajjad Mahmood will select players from regional trials and camps for the squad.
The coaches for the U19 team will be finalised soon. The PFF is also in touch with two foreign coaches for the U19 team.
PFF National Challenge Cup
The final round of the National Challenge Cup 2023 will start on October 21, the PFF announced on Thursday.
A total of 16 formidable football teams have qualified for the final round, comprising 14 victorious teams and two deserving runners-up. The teams include KRL, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, WSTC, Otto Crain, SA Farms, WAPDA, SA Gardens, HEC, PACA, NIMSO, Asia Ghee Mills, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Police, and Masha United.
The tournament will conclude on November 6.
To ensure a smooth organization of the event, the PFF has already dispatched invitations to all the participating teams. A request for confirmation of their availability by September 10 has been extended to each team. Subsequent to receiving the teams' confirmations, the draws will be conducted, and the schedule for the matches will be announced in due course.
Comments