Pakistan national under-20 football team

This article is about men's football team. For women's football team, see Pakistan women's national under-20 football team.

Pakistan Under-20

Nickname(s)	Green Shirts, Pak Shaheen
Association	Pakistan Football Federation
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	SAFF (South Asia)
Head coach	N/A
Captain	N/A
FIFA code	PAK
First colours Second colours
First international
Hong Kong 2–1 Pakistan   (Bangkok, Thailand; 16 April 1962)
Biggest win
Pakistan 4–0 Singapore   (Bangkok, Thailand; 18 April 1962)
Biggest defeat
Iran 14–0 Pakistan   (Tehran, Iran; 6 November 2007)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances	0
AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1962 )
Best result	Group Stage : (1962, 1973, 2000)
SAFF U-20 Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2023 )
Best result	Runner-up (2023)
Medal record SAFF Championship 2023 Nepal

Pakistan national under-20 football team represents Pakistan in international youth football competitions in SAFF U-20 Championship, AFC U-20 Asian Cup and FIFA U-20 World Cup, as well as any other under-20 & under-19 international football tournaments. The team is operated under the Pakistan Football Federation.

The team have qualified for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup three previous times and is yet to qualify for FIFA U-20 World Cup. The team will also first take part in the SAFF U-20 Championship in the 2023 edition.

History

1960s

The Pakistan national youth team first participated at the 1962 AFC Youth Championship held in Bangkok, with former Kolkata Mohammedan player Hafiz Rashid as head coach, and Muhammad Saleem as captain. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In August 1965, the youth national team coached by Moideen Kutty, and captained by Javid Muhammad toured the Soviet Union, where they played several test matches, losing 1–5 against Kirovobad Club at Baker, 2–4 against Ararat Club at Yerevan, 1–4 against Volga Club at Kalinin, 2–9 against Shinnik Club at Yaroslavl, and 1–3 against Spartak Club at Orel. ^[1]

1970s

Pakistan at the 1973 AFC Youth Championship

After a decade-long gap and the fall of Dhaka, the team participated at the 1973 AFC Youth Championship in Tehran led by senior team head coach Muhammad Amin, and Muhammad Idrees as captain. ^{[4] [5]}

In February 1975, Pakistan Youth took part in the U-20 Tournament of the Crown Prince in Iran, failing to advance in the group A consisting of the youth teams of Arsenal, Hungary and Iran. ^[6]

1980s

In October 1982, the team coached by former Pakistan international defender Ali Muhammad Sr. featured at the 1982 AFC Youth Championship qualification group B held in Kathmandu, ^[1] finishing last in group B behind Iraq, Bahrain and North Yemen. ^[7]

At the 1985 AFC Youth Championship qualification in Dammam in December 1985, ^[1] the team again failed to get past the group A consisting of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Syria. ^[8] The next year at the 1986 AFC Youth Championship qualification group 5 in home venue in Quetta, the team lagged behind India and Nepal. ^[9]

1990s

At the 1990 AFC Youth Championship qualification, Pakistan was moved from group 4 to group 5, due to strained relations with India. In the group matches held in Dhaka, the team ended last behind South Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. ^[10] In the 1992 AFC Youth Championship qualification, the team this time played in the group 3 stage matches in Kannur, India, finishing fourth behind India, Bangladesh and Nepal, and ahead of Maldives. ^[11]

Amidst infighting within the Pakistan Football Federation president Mian Muhammad Azhar and PFF General Secretary Hafiz Salman Butt in 1994, the division between the two factions split the PFF into rival groups. Each side sent its own Pakistan youth teams to compete in the 1994 AFC Youth Championship qualification, which resulted in a FIFA-imposed ban on the PFF. ^[12]

At the 1996 AFC Youth Championship qualification group 5 matches in Kannur, the team failed to advance behind India and Sri Lanka. ^[13] Two years later at the 1998 AFC Youth Championship qualification in group 6 in Bangalore, the team finished third behind India and Kyrgyzstan, and ahead of Maldives and Bhutan. ^[14]

2000s

After ending successful in the group 5 qualifiers, ^[15] the team competed in 2000 AFC Youth Championship under Englishman John Layton, and with players such as Muhammad Essa and Jaffar Khan. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

Pakistan during 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification against Iran on 8 December 2009

Pakistan hosted the 2002 AFC Youth Championship qualification group 5 matches at the People Football Stadium in Karachi, finishing second behind Bangladesh due to only one goal difference, thus failing to qualify. ^{[19] [20]} The subsequent 2004, 2006, 2008 AFC Championship qualifying editions again ended in disappointment.

At the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification held in December 2009, Pakistan was stripped of the hosting rights, and the group D matches were held in Iran. ^{[21] [22]}

2010s

After failing in 2012, and 2014 AFC Championship qualifying editions, Pakistan withdrew in the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship qualification. The team missed international exposure for the next years, due to internal crisis within the Pakistan Football Federation, and the consequent suspension by FIFA on 10 October 2017. FIFA restored membership of PFF on 13 March 2018. ^[23] At the 2020 AFC U-19 Championship qualification in November 2019 held in Oman, the team ended last in group A.

2020s

The team again missed international exposure due to another suspension on the PFF in April 2021. ^{[24] [25]} The suspension was lifted on 29 June 2022. ^[26]

In 2023, the team participated for the first time at the SAFF U-19 Championship. ^{[27] [28]} The team finished as runner-up of the tournament after falling in the final against India. ^[29] The team did not enter at the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification.

Coaching staff

Current staff

Position	Name
Head coach	N/A
Assistant coach	N/A
Goalkeeping coach	N/A
Team Manager	N/A

Coaching history

Year	Head coach
1962	Hafiz Rashid [1]
1965	Moideen Kutty [1]
1973	Muhammad Amin [1]
1975	Unknown
1982	Ali Muhammad Sr. [1]
1985	Unknown
1986	Unknown
1990	Unknown
1992	Unknown
1996	Unknown
2000	John Layton [18]
2002	John Layton [20]
2003	Unknown
2005	Unknown
2007	Bashir Ahmed [30]
2009	Gohar Zaman [31]
2011	Shahzad Anwar
2013	Nasir Ismail [32]
2019	Nasir Ismail [33]
2023	Shadab Iftikhar [34]

Players

Current squad

• The 23-man squad was call-up for the 2023 SAFF U-19 Championship.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Sahil Gul		0	0	Hazara Pioneers FC
22	1 GK	Mohsin Khan		0	0	POPO FC
23	1 GK	Muhammad Abdullah		0	0	Muslim Hands FC
4	2 DF	Muhammad Sadam		0	0	POPO FC
2	2 DF	Muhammad Adeel		0	0	Muslim Hands FC
3	2 DF	Khurshid Alam		0	0	POPO FC
5	2 DF	Muhammad Raheel		0	0	POPO FC
12	2 DF	Asad Nasir		0	0	Muslim Hands FC
13	2 DF	Shayan Ali		0	0
16	2 DF	Anus Amin		0	0	PMYP
17	2 DF	Hannan Naveed		0	0	PMYP
18	2 DF	Abid Ali		0	0	Muslim Hands FC
21	2 DF	Kamil Ahmad Khan		0	0	POPO FC
6	3 MF	Muhammad Azan		0	0	Karachi United
7	2 DF	Najeeb Ullah		0	0	SA Gardens FC
8	3 MF	Ali Zafar		0	0	Hazara Pioneer FC
14	3 MF	Awais Khan		0	0	Atish FC Tank
9	4 FW	Muhammad Hassan		0	0
10	4 FW	Shahjahan		0	0	Madhu Mohammdun FC
11	4 FW	Adeel Younas		0	0	POPO FC
15	4 FW	Haroon Zafar		0	0	PMYP
19	4 FW	Faisal Ahmad		0	0	Muslim Hands FC
20	4 FW	Abdul Wahab		0	0	Muslim Hands FC

Results and fixtures

Matches in the last 12 months, and future scheduled matches

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2023

Pakistan   v     Nepal

21 September 2023 (2023-09-21) 2023 SAFF U-19 GS	Pakistan	1–0	Nepal	Kathmandu, Nepal
	Ali Zafar 76'	Report		Stadium: Dashrath Stadium Attendance: 3500 Referee: Astha Aditya Dipesh (India)

Maldives   v   Pakistan

23 September 2023 (2023-09-23) 2023 SAFF U-19 GS	Maldives	1–1	Pakistan	Kathmandu, Nepal
UTC+05:45	Shanaan Rasheed Rashad 39'	Report	Shah Jahan 84'	Stadium: Dashrath Stadium Attendance: 212 Referee: Sabuj Kumar Das (Bangladesh)

Pakistan   v   Bhutan

27 September 2023 (2023-09-27) 2023 SAFF U-19 SF	Pakistan	0(6)–0(5)	Bhutan	Kathmandu, Nepal
UTC+05:45		Report		Stadium: Dashrath Stadium Attendance: 315 Referee: Astha Aditya Dipesh (India)
	Penalties
	Adeel Younas Shah Jahan Ali Zafar Khurshid Alam Muhammad Sadam Kamil Ahmed Khan		Kinzang Tenzing Jigme Namgyel Rinzin Dorji Ugyen Dorji Pema Zangpo Tshetrim Pelzang

Pakistan   v   India

30 September 2023 (2023-09-30) 2023 SAFF U-19 Final	Pakistan	0–3	India	Kathmandu, Nepal
UTC+05:45		Report	Manglenthang Kipgen 64', 85' Gwgmsar Goyary 90+5'	Stadium: Dashrath Stadium

Competitive records

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup record
Host/Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
FIFA World Youth Championship
1977 to 2005	did not Qualify
FIFA U-20 World Cup
2007 to 2023	did not Qualify
2025	did not enter
Total	0/24	–	0	0	0	0	0	0

AFC U-20 Asian Cup

AFC U-20 Asian Cup records
Host/Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1959 to 1961	did not enter
1962	Group Stage	5th	4	2	0	2	9	8
1963 to 1972	did not enter
1973	Group Stage	14th	3	0	0	3	1	12
1974 to 1978	did not enter
1980 to 1992	did not qualify
1994	did not enter
1996	did not qualify
1998
2000	Group Stage	7th	4	1	0	3	2	15
2002 to 2014	did not qualify
2016 to 2018	did not enter
2020	did not qualify
2023 to 2025	did not enter
Total	3/41	–	11	3	0	8	12	35

SAFF U-20 Championship

SAFF U-20/U-19/U-18 Championship record
Host/Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2015 to 2022	did not enter
2023	Runner-up	2/6	4	1	2	1	2	4
Total	Runner-up	2nd	4	1	2	1	2	4

Honours

SAFF

• SAFF U-20/U-19/U-18 Championship
  • Runners-up (1): 2023 ^{[35] [36]}

See also

• Pakistan Football Federation
• Pakistan national football team
• Pakistan national under-23 football team
• Pakistan national under-17 football team

References

1. Bhatti, Mukhtar (1999). Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records 1947-1999. Bhatti Publications. pp. 237–250.
2. "Pakistan Observer, 1962.04.11 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
3. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Wednesday 11 April 1962". British Newspaper Archive .
4. Ahsan, Ali (23 December 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
5. "Asian U-19 Championship 1973". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
6. "U-20 Tournament of the Crown Prince". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
7. "Asian U-19 Championship 1982". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
8. "Asian U-19 Championship 1985". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
9. "Asian U-19 Championship 1986". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
10. "Asian U-19 Championship 1990". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
11. "Asian U-19 Championship 1992". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
12. "Feuding Pakistan get six-month ban". South China Morning Post. 2 August 1994. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
13. "Asian U-19 Championship 1996". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
14. "Asian U-19 Championship 1998". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
15. "Asian U-19 Championship 2000". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
16. Ahsan, Ali (23 December 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
17. Ali, Shazad (15 December 2002). "Nepotism, internal bickering not helping soccer, says Layton". Dawn. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
18. "Foreign football coaches due next week". Dawn. 23 December 2001. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
19. "Asian U-20 Championship 2002". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
20. "Coach Layton happy with performance". Dawn. 1 May 2002. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
21. Iran set to host U-19 Group D qualifiers The AFC. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
22. AFC to nominate new host for U19 Group D qualifiers The AFC. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
23. "FIFA lifts suspension of Pakistan Football Federation". 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
24. "FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation due to third-party interference". www.aninews.in. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
25. "FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation". Asian Football Confederation . 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
26. "FIFA lifts suspension of Pakistan Football Federation". FIFA . 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
27. "PFF commends U19 Football Team for historic achievement". The Nation. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
28. "Pakistan qualify for semi-final of SAFF U19 Championship". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
29. Sports, A. (30 September 2023). "India thump Pakistan to win SAFF U19 Championship 2023". ASports.tv. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
30. "PFF announces Pakistan under-19 team – Business Recorder" . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
31. "Gohar Zaman appointed U-19 football team coach". Brecorder. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
32. natasha.raheel (30 September 2013). "Milosavljevic to serve as Pakistan U19 consultant". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
33. Muznah (18 November 2019). "Pakistan Football Federation announce 23-member squad for AFC U-19 championship qualifiers". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
34. Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (6 September 2023). "Diaspora influx continues as PFF NC brings in Shadab as U-19 coach". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
35. "INDIA WINS SAFF U19 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 TITLE". saffederation.org. Kathmandu: South Asian Football Federation. 30 September 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
36. Rawat, Akhil (30 September 2023). "CHAMPS!!! Triple-strike Blue Colts send crippled Pakistan packing". the-aiff.com. Kathmandu: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.

External links

• Pakistan Football Federation
• https://int.soccerway.com/teams/pakistan/pakistan-under-19/15721/