Football is among the most popular team sports in Pakistan, together with long time number one cricket and field hockey. Pakistan's current top domestic football league is the Pakistan Premier League, formed with sixteen clubs to promote football in the country. The first national league began in 2003 and was immediately recognised by the AFC as the official national football league. Football in general is run by the Pakistan Football Federation.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is the national governing body of association football in Pakistan. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation. The federation was founded in 1947, it also manages the futsal and beach soccer national teams.
Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
The Pakistan Premier League is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's football clubs. The top tier of the Pakistan football league system, the PPL operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the PFFL B Division. The league has remained inactive since the end of the 2018–19 season.
The PFF National Challenge Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Pakistani football within the Pakistan football league system. It is organized by and named after the Pakistan Football Federation. Initially named as Inter Departmental Championship, it was introduced in 1979 as a football tournament for departmental selections and armed forces teams excluded from the National Football Championship of Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army Football Club serves as a football section of the Pakistan Army. The club was established in 1950 by Pakistan Army and is third oldest existing club in Pakistan after Karachi Port Trust (1887) and Pakistan Navy (1948). The club used to compete in the Pakistan Premier League. The club regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.
Khan Research Laboratories Football Club, sometimes abbreviated to KRL F.C. or KRL, serves as the football section of Khan Research Laboratories. Based in Rawalpindi, the club plays their home games at KRL Stadium. The club used to compete in the Pakistan Premier League. The club regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.
Pakistan Railways FC serves as the football section of Pakistan Railways, a state-owned railway company. Based in Lahore, the club play at the Railway Stadium. Nicknamed the Railwaymen, they are one of the oldest football clubs in Pakistan and were created by Pakistan Railway workers. The club used to compete in the Pakistan Premier League. The club regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.
Pakistan International Airlines Football Club, abbreviated as PIA F.C., served as the football section of Pakistan International Airlines. Based in Karachi, Sindh, the club used to compete in the Pakistan Premier League.
Abdul Ghafoor, known by his nickname Majna, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Ghafoor also captained the Pakistan national football team. He was nicknamed the "Pakistani Pele" and "Black Pearl of Pakistan".
Umar Farooq Tariq Lutfi is a Pakistani football coach and former midfielder. He is the manager of Sui Southern Gas. He played his entire career at Pakistan Airlines. He was also the caretaker manager of the Pakistan national football team in 2011.
The National T20 Cup is a men's professional domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Pakistan. Established in 2005, it is one of the world's oldest Twenty20 cricket leagues. It was the principal T20 competition in the country until 2016, when the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise tournament was introduced. Since 2019–20, the National T20 Cup has been contested by six regional teams, having previously been contested mainly by teams representing the various city, district and area cricket associations.
Kaleemullah Khan is a Pakistani professional footballer. He currently plays futsal at Karachi based club Abdul FC. Khan plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an attacking midfielder, second striker, centre forward as well as on either wing.
The Pakistan Champions Cricket League (PCCL) is a Twenty20 Club cricket league in Pakistan which was organised by Pakistan former captain Rashid Latif at Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA) in co-operation with Karachi City Cricket Organisation (KCCA). The event was previously known as Karachi Champions League which hosted only 16 cricket clubs from the city in 2010.
The 2012–13 Pakistan Premier League was the 9th season of the Pakistan Premier League, the Pakistani professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2004. The season began on 5 September 2012 and ended on 15 January 2013.
Abdus Sadeque is a former Pakistani and Bangladeshi field hockey player. Due to pronunciation, transcription and transliteration issues, spellings of his name are recorded as Abdus Sadiq or Abdul Sadiq in Pakistani sports books, old newspapers and on the website of Pakistan Hockey Federation. Spellings of his second name Sadeque are sometimes written as Sadek by Bangladeshi newspapers. He has represented the national hockey teams of both Pakistan and Bangladesh. He also played domestic football in the 70s. After his retirement as player, he became Bangladeshi field hockey organizer, trainer and administrator.
Qayyum Changezi was a Pakistani footballer who played as a forward. Considered as one of the earliest legends in Pakistan football history, he was known for his leadership, free kicks, and goal-scoring abilities.
Muhammad Umer was a Pakistani professional footballer, who played as a striker. Umer represented the Pakistan national football team from 1956 to 1968, and was the country's 13th international captain.
The National Football Championship was the men's highest level football competition from 1948 to 2003. Founded by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in 1948, it was mainly held on knock-out basis. It was eventually replaced by the Pakistan Premier League from the 2004–05 season in order to professionalize the sport in Pakistan. Until 1971, it was run in parallel with the Dhaka League in East Pakistan.
