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LAHORE, April 9 Sixteen teams will take part in the NBP National Football Challenge Cup to be played at the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company ground, Hyderabad, from April 15 to 28.
According to PFF Manager Competition Rauf Bari, the competition will be held in two phases — the group stage (league matches) to be followed by the knock-out (quarter-finals, semi-final, final) stage.
The teams playing in group stage have been divided equally into four groups. The winners will score three points, while one point will be given to both the teams in case of a draw.
National champions Wapda will take on the 1985-Champions Habib Bank Limited (HBL), current PFF League Champion Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and rank outsiders Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Group 'A', while the two-time champion Army, who represented Pakistan in the AFC President's Cup 2006, 2007, is bracketed with 1984 Champion Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Pak Steel and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in Group 'B'.
Sponsors and 1993 gold medallists National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) will collide with the 1999, 2001, 2008 runners-up Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) and the first-ever champion in 1979, Sindh Government Press (SGP), in Group 'C' while holders Pakistan Navy, 1990 winner Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Lahore's Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) and host DFA Hyderabad comprise Group 'D'.
GROUP STAGE DRAWS
April 15 HBL v HEC (8.30am), Navy v PEL (2.00pm), Wapda v PAF (4.00pm).
April 16 Army v SSGC (8.30am), KPT v DFA Hyderabad (2.00pm), PIA v Pak Steel (4.00pm).
April 17 KRL v SGP (8.30am), NBP v KESC (2.00pm), PAF v HBL (4.00pm).
April 18 Navy v DFA Hyderabad (8.30am), Wapda v HEC (2.00pm), KPT v PEL (4.00pm).
April 19 SSGC v PIA (8.30am), Army v Pak Steel (2.00pm), NBP v SGP (4.00pm).
April 20 PEL v DFA Hyderabad (8.30pm), KRL v KESC (2.00pm), KPT v Navy (4.00pm).
April 21 PAF v HEC (8.30am), PIA v Army (2.00pm), Wapda v HBL (4.00pm).
April 22 SSGC v Pak Steel (8.30am), SGP v KESC (2.00pm), KRL v NBP (4.00pm).
KNOCK OUT STAGE
April 23-24 Quarter-finals.
April 26 Semi-finals.
April 27 Third-place decider.
April 28 Final.
