Pakistan out of women’s football tournament in India over political strife | Football News
Pakistani Football Team Banned from SAFF Women’s Championship in India
The Pakistani government has prohibited the national women’s football team from participating in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship, scheduled to take place in Goa, India, from May 25 to June 7. This decision stems from ongoing geopolitical tensions between Pakistan and India, as confirmed by officials from the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
“We have not received a no objection certificate from the relevant authorities,” a PFF spokesperson stated on Wednesday.
Despite being a SAFF member, Pakistan will not field a team in the six-nation tournament. The tournament schedule released earlier today did not include Pakistan’s name, indicating its absence from the competition. Group A features Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, while Group B includes hosts India, the Maldives, and defending champions Bangladesh.
The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, which has previously hosted the men’s edition of the SAFF tournament, will serve as the venue for the women’s championship.
The strained relations between India and Pakistan have impacted sports exchanges, requiring athletes to obtain government clearance to travel abroad for competitions. In August, India’s sports ministry announced a policy restricting Indian athletes from traveling to Pakistan and vice versa for bilateral events, although both nations continue to compete in multilateral competitions at neutral venues.
The announcement of the tournament’s schedule coincides with the anniversary of the Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, an event India attributes to Pakistan, a claim that Pakistan denies.
Since its inception in 2010, the SAFF Women’s Championship has been held approximately every two years. The last edition took place in 2024 in Nepal, where Bangladesh defeated Nepal 2-1 in the final. In the prior tournament, Pakistan played against India but failed to progress beyond the group stage after a 5-2 loss and a draw against Bangladesh.
Pakistan last hosted the tournament in 2014, during which India won the title. This will mark India’s second opportunity to host the regional championship, having previously done so in 2016.
The ongoing tensions are not limited to football; cricket— the most popular sport in both nations— has experienced similar disruptions. In December 2024, the International Cricket Council facilitated a neutral venue arrangement for ICC events amid strict travel policies from both governments. The most recent instance occurred in February, when Pakistan played all its matches of the men’s T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Unlike cricket, the global governing body for field hockey has not established neutral venue arrangements, leading to Pakistan’s withdrawal from the men’s junior World Cup last November in Tamil Nadu, India, citing safety concerns. Pakistan also missed the Asia Cup hockey tournament in August 2025 due to security issues associated with the event’s location in Rajgir, Bihar.
