Pakistan were knocked out of the qualifiers for the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup on Saturday despite a 2-1 victory over Kyrgyzstan, as Chinese Taipei scored the most points in their group.
The national squad was drawn in Group ‘D’ of the qualifiers in Jakarta alongside Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan lost their first match of the campaign to Chinese Taipei 8-0 on June 29, but beat hosts Indonesia 2-0 in their second group match this week.
Mariam Mahmood scored her first international goal in the very first minute of the match.
“Layla Aliya won possession at the halfway line and threaded a pass that initially looked to be claimed by Dilnura Abibulla, only for the Kyrgyz Republic custodian (goalkeeper) to drop the ball, allowing Mariam Mahmood to roll it into an unguarded net,” said an AFC press release.
Mahmood then doubled Pakistan’s tally by converting a penalty in the 18th minute.
Kyrgyzstan scored their only goal of the match when Alina Gaparova scored a low drive into the bottom corner in the 69th minute, the AFC said.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) marked the team’s campaign with a lengthy post on Instagram, hailing their overall first-ever outing in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers.
“For the first time in history, Pakistan took part in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers and what a statement they made,” the federation wrote.
“After a tough start against Chinese Taipei, the team bounced back with incredible determination and heart, securing back-to-back victories against Indonesia (2-0) and Kyrgyzstan (2-1). With these wins, they’ve written a new chapter in Pakistan’s football journey.”
The PFF called the campaign “a moment of pride for every supporter of the game”, congratulating the team, coaching staff and officials.
The body later said: “Despite the impressive win and finishing second in the group, Pakistan could not advance to the next round, with Chinese Taipei securing qualification.”
It said Chinese Taipei finished at the top of Group D with nine points, having won all three of their matches, while Pakistan placed second with six points and two victories in their three games.
PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani praised Pakistan’s performance in their maiden campaign in the AFC Women’s Asia Cup Qualifiers.
“Our national women’s team displayed great character and fighting spirit during their debut campaign at the AFC Qualifiers,” he said. “Despite winning two matches and finishing second, we were unfortunate not to progress to the next round. But this is just the beginning.”
Gilani added, “With continued support and sincere efforts, I am confident that our team will perform even better in future international events.”
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jennah Farooki, Nisha Ashraf, Zeeyana Jivraj; Defenders: Aliya Sadiq, Layla Banaras, Maria Khan (captain), Nizalia Siddiqui, Sophia Qureshi; Midfielders: Amina Hanif, Azwa Chaudhry, Marsha Malik, Rameen Fareed, Sanah Mehdi, Suha Hirani; Forwards: Anmol Hira, Aqsa Mushtaq, Isra Khan, Mariam Mahmood, Nadia Khan, Zehmena Malik, Zulfia Nazir.
Additional reporting by Abdul Ghaffar.
