Whats Next for Pakistan Women Football: Captain Maria Khan Speaks Out

Speaking in a recent interview on SBS Urdu, Pakistan women's national team captain Maria Jamila Khan opened up about the realities facing her squad.

Maria Khan, when asked about the potential of this women’s team and whether we could see them in the World Cup in the near future, replied:

"Inshallah, we'll see Pakistan there one day but we have to be very realistic. Um, it's not gonna be anytime in the near future," Khan stated.

Looking at the lack of domestic infrastructure, Maria considers potential across the nation to be massive, but acknowledges the immense logistical hurdles required to harness it.

"There is still a lot of work to be done and is being done by the federation to try to sort things out domestically," she explained. "Because again we are a country of 250 million plus people so, you know, the talent pool and talent size and talent potential that's sitting there for both boys and girls is really big. So, yeah, um again I think there's a lot of work to be done and I think there is a lot of work being currently done to try to, you know, figure things out domestically and, you know, a sustainable calendar for international matches as well, but it's definitely not an easy task with such a big country."

Regarding the current lack of playing opportunities for local talent, she remains hopeful that recent administrative shifts will lead to change.

"Not at the moment, because there's been no domestic structure for women's football or even for boys football," Khan noted. "So now that we have a governing body in place with the federation and you know they've been able to create a women's department, so we're excited to see, you know, what comes from that. And, you know, things from our understanding are happening. So yeah it's just one of those things where we need to let things play out and, you know, once those kind of structures and those strategies and frameworks are in place, then hopefully we'll be able to create those playing opportunities which historically have not been there."

When questioned about the squad's composition and the blend of local and diaspora talent, the captain firmly unified the team's identity.

To map out their future, Khan pointed to the Matildas (the Australian women's national football team) as the ultimate blueprint for global and cultural success in the women's game.

"Yeah, I mean I think if you're involved in women's football, it's difficult to not know about the Matildas," she shared. "They have world-class players that are playing at the highest level... And also the way the country supports the Matildas and, you know, the way the fan base continues to grow, it's amazing to see. And even with the A-League as well, you know, continuing to attract talent, and produce talent as well, it's really great to see and I think it's definitely a North Star for a lot of countries and for a lot of teams to do what the Matildas are doing."

Ultimately, Khan made it clear that her team is playing for a purpose much larger than themselves, embracing the heavy responsibility of elevating the entire nation's sporting profile.

"For us as a team and as a group of women, we really do love supporting and representing Pakistan and doing what we can to try to bring awareness not just to the women's team but to sports in general in Pakistan because there is so much talent across different sports within the country. And a lot of times those talents go a little unnoticed or unrecognized for various reasons. So, we as a team understand our responsibility to perform on the pitch, because it's those kind of performances like you saw in Ivory Coast that really bring the right attention and awareness to, again, not just women's football in Pakistan but sports in Pakistan. So yeah, we continue to ask for the fans' support, we continue to look forward to any future opportunities that we have to play and represent the country. So as always, Pakistan Zindabad."