ABIDJAN: Pakistan’s women’s national team are targeting victory in the FIFA Series as they prepare to make history in their first-ever FIFA event, vice-captain Suha Hirani said on Wednesday ahead of their opening match.
The team, which arrived in Abidjan on Monday to acclimatise to local conditions, will debut against the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday before facing Mauritania on April 12 and hosts Ivory Coast on April 16.
This year’s edition of the FIFA Series marks the first to include a dedicated women’s iteration, designed to give national teams from different confederations more opportunities to compete against one another.
Speaking at a press conference alongside head coach Adeel Rizki, Suha said the squad’s motivation extended beyond the tournament itself.
“Our biggest motivation is to make sure that Pakistan women’s football progresses in the world,” Suha said. “We don’t get that many chances to play, so every chance we get to represent Pakistan as a country, we want to show that women and girls in Pakistan are very capable of progressing in football on the world stage.”
When asked about the team’s chances, the vice-captain was unequivocal.
“The aim is to win the whole series over here, and we hope to achieve that,” she said, adding that the current squad represented Pakistan’s strongest line-up in recent years.
“So far, this is the best team we’ve had. Over the last few years, we’ve had a good chance to gel as a team.”
Suha also acknowledged the quality of the opposition, particularly the hosts, while expressing confidence in her side’s preparation.
“Obviously, we’ve tried to study the team of the Ivory Coast as well, and there’s a lot of very talented players in your national team,” she said. “The opposition is very good, but we’re also very prepared to face the challenges that are going to come.”
Coach Adeel described the tournament as a major opportunity for both the players and the Pakistan Football Federation, urging his side to embrace the occasion rather than shrink from it.
“This is a very big opportunity for our players and us as a nation, as well as our member association,” Adeel said. “When you are given a chance to play at this level, you can’t be nervous. You can’t be shy. We have to be looking forward to it and taking it in a very positive stride.”
The head coach confirmed the squad had completed a training session since arriving and were in good spirits. Outlining the federation’s long-term vision, he acknowledged that competing at World Cup level would require sustained progress.
“We are still a developing nation,” he said. “We have a short-term plan, a medium-term plan, and a long-term plan. Our federation is working very hard — giving competition to our team, starting a domestic league, playing all FIFA windows, and competing with different teams in Asia and then across the world as well. It’s never going to be overnight, but the progression has to be there.”
Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2026