By Sumayya
KARACHI: Pakistan have been placed in Group B of Division One of the premier FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, where they will confront Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The FIFA ASEAN Cup will be conducted from September 24 to October 5, with Division One fixtures programmed to take place in Indonesia.
Pakistan will commence their campaign against Thailand on September 26 before meeting the Philippines on September 29. Their ultimate group-stage match will be against Vietnam on October 2.
The Division One showdown is slated for October 5.
The initial FIFA ASEAN Cup will highlight 14 regional squads, encompassing all 11 ASEAN constituent nations and three invitee squads. The tournament has been split into two sections.
Section One encompasses Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, alongside invitee squads Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Section Two highlights venue Hong Kong, China, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.
Each section has been split into two pools, with squads playing a solitary round-robin scheme. The champions of the two pools in each section will progress to the corresponding showdowns, while the second-place finishers in Section One will likewise battle a third-spot decider.
The competition remains staged in Bandung and Jakarta inside Indonesia, as well as Hong Kong, China.
According to FIFA, the competition has been initiated to extend regional squads with significant tournament avenues within the Men’s International Match Almanac while fortifying soccer bonds across Southeast Asia and the broader zone.
FIFA Executive Gianni Infantino expressed the tournament would offer athletes an avenue to symbolize their nations in high-intensity regional conflicts while forging fresh avenues for enthusiasts to interact with international soccer.
Regarding Pakistan, the tournament signifies the men’s regional squad’s primary engagement in a FIFA tournament.
