MALE : Pakistan clinched the title of the Four-Nation Golden Jubilee Football Tournament held in the Maldives by defeating Afghanistan 2-0 in the final.
Pakistan dominated the match, with Shaiq scoring the opening goal, while Haroon Hamid sealed the victory by netting the second goal in the closing moments of the game.
Apart from Pakistan, teams from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the host nation, Maldives, participated in the tournament.
Pakistan maintained a flawless record throughout the event, winning all of their matches, which included defeating Afghanistan twice.
This historic win marks Pakistan’s first international football tournament victory in 35 years, with their last major triumph dating back to the 1991 South Asian Federation (SAF) Games.
Pakistan in International Football Events
Historically, Pakistan’s journey in international football has been a story of early promise followed by decades of administrative neglect and stagnation.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Pakistan was a highly competitive side in Asia, frequently playing against top regional teams and securing a runner-up spot in the 1954 Merdeka Tournament.
The subcontinental side also enjoyed significant success in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, winning the gold medal four times, specifically in 1989, 1991, 2004, and 2006.
However, the sport witnessed a steep decline after the 1990s. Internal politics, lack of professional leagues, poor infrastructure, and persistent infighting within the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) severely crippled the national team’s progress.
These governance issues led to multiple suspensions by FIFA, including a major ban in 2021 that completely isolated Pakistani footballers from the international arena for over a year.
Consequently, Pakistan’s FIFA ranking plummeted, and the team struggled to win international matches consistently, often exiting in the preliminary rounds of regional tournaments like the SAFF Championship.
In recent years, Pakistan has taken strategic steps toward a resurgence by actively recruiting diaspora players of Pakistani descent playing in European leagues.
This strategy has injected much-needed tactical discipline and experience into the squad. A historic milestone was achieved in late 2023 when Pakistan won its first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifier match by defeating Cambodia, advancing to the second round of the Asian qualifiers.
This recent tournament victory in the Maldives further signals a turning point, offering hope for a football revival in the country.
