ISLAMABAD – Tajikistan on Tuesday thrashed Pakistan 6-1 in a match of the second round in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers at the Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad.
Samiev scored the sixth for the visitors to win the game while the Team Green could score only one goal.
Pakistan are ranked 193rd in the FIFA World Rankings while Tajikistan is 109th.
On Thursday, Pakistan lost to Saudi Arabia, while Tajikistan drew against Jordan at their home ground in Dushanbe. Saudi Arabia beat Pakistan 4-0 in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at Al-Fateh Stadium in the Kingdom’s Al-Ahsa.
Saudi Arabia won the match, but the Saudi team’s head coach, Roberto Mancini, acknowledged Pakistan’s impressive performance and progress in the post-match press conference. He emphasized the challenging nature of football, stating, “In the world of football, there is no easy match, and the Pakistani national team performed well.”
Jordan and Tajikistan are the other teams in Pakistan’s group. These four teams will play against each other on a home and away basis and then the top two nations will progress to the third round, while the bottom two teams will move into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Being a host country of the 2027 Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia have already qualified for the continent’s major showpiece.
Pakistan are now set to play against Tajikistan in Islamabad on November 21, while the remaining qualification matches will be played next year in March and June. The top two qualify for the third round of qualifiers, in which 18 teams are split in three groups.
Earlier on Monday, the team Tajikistan landed in Islamabad ahead of the all important game on November 21.
Welcome to Pakistan 🇵🇰
Team Tajikistan has landed in Islamabad ahead of the all important game on the 21st! #pakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #shaheens pic.twitter.com/4WFDb7XV2T
— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) November 20, 2023
