The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced a 28-member squad to compete in the 2026 SAFF Championship, which will be held at the National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 5 to 17. The announcement came nearly a day after most players had already departed for the host nation.

Several key players, including captain Abdullah Iqbal, defender Easah Suliman, and wingers Abdul Samad Arshad and Ali Akbar Khan, were included in the squad but will only be available if Pakistan qualifies for the semifinals. All four players are regular starters but were not released early by their clubs, as Pakistan’s group-stage matches against India on November 5 and Maldives on November 8 fall outside the November FIFA international window.

Other players are confirmed unavailable for the tournament. Otis Khan and Harun Hamid remain unavailable, while Mohammed Fazal, Abdullah Shah, and Ali Agha have been ruled out due to injuries or fitness concerns.

The absences of the injured and unavailable players have allowed Zainul Abideen Ishaque, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Junaid Shah, and Tufail Khan Shinwari to return to the national team. Additionally, McKeal Abdullah is returning to the squad after last representing Pakistan in 2025. The squad also features first-time senior national team call-ups for midfielder Muhammad Junaid and striker Najeebullah, both of whom represented Pakistan at the SAFF U20 Championship in the Maldives earlier this year.

Pakistan is placed in Group B for the tournament alongside India and Maldives. Group A consists of the hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Nepal will not participate in the tournament due to the ongoing suspension of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) by FIFA over governance issues.

The tournament schedule lists the semifinals for November 14, followed by the final on November 17. Pakistan’s most recent international competition was the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia during the September-October window, where the team lost 4-0 to Thailand, drew 2-2 with the Philippines, and lost 4-2 to Vietnam.