Pakistan women to make FIFA Series debut in Ivory Coast

LAHORE: Pakistan women’s national team will make history this month when they compete in the FIFA Series in Ivory Coast, marking the country’s first appearance by a senior women’s side in an event held by the game’s world governing body.

The team departs for the West African nation on Monday ahead of their opening match against the Turks and Caicos Islands on April 9. Pakistan will then face Mauritania on April 12 before concluding the group stage against hosts Ivory Coast on April 16.

Head coach Adeel Rizki will lead the side throughout the campaign.

Forward Nadia Khan was full of gratitude for Pakistan Football Feder­ation (PFF) president Mohsen Gilani for securing the team’s place in the tournament, saying the opportunity to compete at such a level would provide invaluable exposure.

“I want to say a big thank you from our team to PFF president Mohsen Gilani for organising the team’s participation at the FIFA Series,” Nadia said in a statement issued by PFF on Saturday.

“It is one thing just saying different things but actually executing it and following through is something different and it’s truly amazing that we can play at this level and get exposure like this.”

Zeeyana Jivraj said FIFA’s decision to select Pakistan for the series represented a major milestone, particularly given the squad’s limited time together in previous campaigns.

“FIFA specifically picking us to compete in the FIFA series I think is really really big for us,” the goalkeeper said.

“With us it’s always really difficult because we don’t really get much time together as a team and so this time it’s been really nice to be able to get a few weeks of training before we go and play in the Ivory Coast and hopefully that can allow us as a team to gel to be able to perform.”

The team’s training camp concludes in Lahore on Sunday. Midfielder Sanah Mehdi urged supporters to follow the team’s progress during the tournament.

Squad:

“We’re all really looking forward to the support and please get behind us and watch our games,” Sanah requested.

“It means a lot to us and it’s what drives us forward.”

Goalkeepers: Zeeyana Jivraj, Nisha Ashraf, Arzoo Hazara; Defenders: Isra Khan, Anaya Ahmad, Anmol Hira, Kayla Siddiqui, Karissa Jivraj, Alia Sadiq, Maria Khan, Nizalia Siddiqi; Midfielders: Suha Hirani, Rameen Fareed, Layla Banaras, Sanah Mehdi, Zehmena Malik; For­wards: Mariam Mah­mood, Aqsa Mushtaq, Aiman Altaf, Nadia Khan, Maryam Zehri, Azwa Chaudhry.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2026

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