Pakistan Announce 32-Player Preliminary Squad for 2026 SAFF Championship

The Pakistan Men's National Team has announced a 32-player preliminary squad for the upcoming 2026 SAFF Championship in Bangladesh. The team will gather for a training camp in Islamabad beginning on 26 October to prepare for the regional tournament, which runs from 5 to 17 November.

The roster sees several adjustments from the recent FIFA ASEAN Cup squad. Up front, McKeal Abdullah returns to the setup to serve as the squad's third striker; the forward, currently playing for Ilkeston Town, last played for Pakistan in 2025 against Syria. Several local players also return to the fold, including defender Junaid Shah, as well as Qadeer Khan who returns to the national setup for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign under former manager Shahzad Anwar.

Pakistan will be missing several key overseas players for the group stage due to club commitments that collide with the tournament dates. Otis Khan is unavailable as Altrincham F.C. has an FA Cup first-round fixture on 7 November, while Harun Hamid will remain with Bosnian side NK Jedinstvo Bihać. Injuries have also taken a significant toll on the squad. Mohammad Fazal suffered a thigh injury during the ASEAN Cup, and defender Abdullah Shah was sidelined after getting injured in the opening ASEAN Cup match against Thailand. Furthermore, midfielder Rahis Nabi is recovering from an ACL injury sustained in the Maldives tournament, and Ali Agha was officially ruled out after recently picking up an injury in a local tournament.

Crucially, Pakistan will also be missing their two biggest players for the group stage: captain Abdullah Iqbal and defender Easah Suliman. Iqbal's club, Swedish side Mjällby AIF, has a crucial UEFA Conference League fixture on the exact same day Pakistan faces India. These absences—along with forward Abdul Samad Arshad—are because the SAFF group stage games fall entirely outside the official FIFA international window. However, if Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, the FIFA window will have officially opened, allowing these key players to join the national team in Bangladesh for the knockout rounds.

In addition, Zain Tahir—who plays for Sheffield United U21 and is currently on loan at EFL League Two side Oldham Athletic—and Saifur Rehman of FC Arlanda have applied for their Pakistani passports but have yet to receive them, meaning they will not be making their debuts in this tournament.

The preliminary list features a couple of notable overseas omissions. Midfielder Moin Jr., currently playing in the Bangladesh league where he recently earned a SofaScore Team of the Week nod, was not called up. Similarly, Kamil Marwat, who has been a regular starter in Afghanistan and also made a recent Team of the Week, was left out of the camp.

Meanwhile, the training camp will feature an injection of youth, as U-17 prospects Samar Razzaq (goalkeeper) and Abdul Samad (forward) have been called up to train with the senior side for valuable experience before they are expected to join the U-17 squad later.Abdul Samad who signed for Qarabagh u17 was part of ASEAN CUP squad too however looks like this time he will go with U17 instead as he is key part and captain of u17 team.

Following the camp, the technical staff will trim the roster down for the tournament. The final travelling squad for Bangladesh will consist of 28 players, as SAFF regulations now permit expanded 28-man squads instead of the traditional 23.

32-Player Preliminary Squad

Goalkeepers:

• Yousuf Butt
• Saqib Hanif
• Hassan Ali
• Zulqarnain
• Samar Razzaq (U-17)

Defenders:

• Harris Zeb
• Mohib Ullah
• Mamoon Moosa Khan
• Waqar Ehtisam
• Haseeb Khan
• Junaid Shah
• Abdul Rehman
• Ali Niazi
• Qadeer Khan
• Arsalan Ali
• Muhammad Adeel

Midfielders:

• Alamgir Ghazi
• Hayyan Khattak
• Ali Raza
• Ali Uzair
• Adil Nabi
• Tufail Khan Shinwari
• Umair Ali

Forwards:

• Ali Khan
• Umar Nawaz
• Shayak Dost
• Abdul Samad (U-17)
• McKeal Abdullah
• Kaleemullah Khan
• Najeeb Ullah
• Muhammad Junaid
• Zain ul Abideen