Pakistan name preliminary squad for SAFF Under-20 Championship

LAHORE: Pakistan Men’s Under-20 team head coach Shehzad Anwar has announced a 26-member preliminary squad for the upcoming SAFF Under-20 Championship.

The tournament will be held in the Maldives from March 23 to April 3, with Pakistan drawn in Group ‘B’ alongside Bangladesh and India.

Pakistan will play Bangladesh in their opening match on March 24, before facing India two days later. The top two teams will advance to the semi-finals. “We have tried our best in forming a competitive team that will hopefully deliver results at the SAFF Under-20 Championship,” coach Shehzad Anwar said.

The journey begins. 🇵🇰
26 players named in the Pakistan U-20 preliminary squad for the SAFF U-20 Championship. pic.twitter.com/dTQUeOGLuc

— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) March 10, 2026

The players are currently training at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad, with the squad having been finalised after week-long trials.

Preliminary squad:

Goalkeepers: Zulqurnain (Landikotal), Adil Ali Khan (Islamabad), Kashif (South Waziristan), Ghulam Abbas (Sargodha).

Defenders: Umar Javed (Swabi), Zarib Haider (Parachinar), Majid Ali (Faisalabad), Waseem Abdul Rasheed (Karachi), Ubaid Ullah (Bhakkar), Abdul Khaliq (Chaman), Abdur Rehman (Faisalabad), Aabis Raza (Layyah), Sheraz Khalid (Karachi).

Midfielders: Ali Zafar (Quetta), Zain Imran (Melbourne), Shahab Ahmed (Chitral), Khubaib (Bannu), Owais Ilyas (Karachi), Junaid (D.I. Khan), Mansoor Khan (Islamabad).

Forwards: Najeeb Ullah (Bhakkar), Abdul Samad (Swat), Sajjad Hussain (Quetta), Abdullah (Rawalpindi), Faham (Islamabad), Umar Nawaz (Peshawar/UK).