ISLAMABAD: Pakistan team’s training camp is in progress at the Jinnah Sports Complex in Islamabad for the SAFF U-17 Championship being held in Sri Lanka later this month.

Head coach Nasir Ismail is overseeing the team’s camp for the said tournament, said a press release issued by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Thursday.

The SAFF U-17 Championship will take place in Sri Lanka from Sept 15 to 27. Pakistan are placed in Group ‘B’ alongside arch-rivals India and the Maldives.

Pakistan open their campaign in the event against Bhutan on Sept 16 before clashing with the Maldives on Sept 19. Pakistan conclude the group stage with the match against India on Sept 22.

Meanwhile, a training camp for Pakistan’s futsal team has also commenced at the Liaquat Gymnasium of the Jinnah Sports Complex for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers scheduled to be held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The camp is being supervised by head coach Sakhawat Ali as the team look to make history by participating in an international futsal event for the very first time. Pakistan have been drawn in Group ‘D’, which also includes Chinese Taipei, Iraq and hosts Saudi Arabia.

The national futsal team begin their campaign against Iraq on Sept 20, followed by a game against Saudi Arabia on Sept 22 before facing Chinese Taipei on Sept 24 in the last group-stage match.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2025