Pakistan men’s football team gears up for two regional tournaments

ISLAMABAD, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan’s men’s football team is preparing for two significant regional tournaments beginning in June this year, according to an official statement released on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced that the team has initiated a training camp for two events: the Four-Nation Cup 2023 in Mauritius and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship 2023 in India next month.

The PFF has already invited 28 players to a training camp in Lahore, an eastern city in the country, to prepare and select the final team for the tournaments.

"The camp’s objective is to aid the men in green in preparing for the international competitions and to demonstrate their skills more effectively," said the federation. The federation added that the tournaments would present excellent opportunities for the team to showcase their talents and gain experience.

The 2023 Four-Nation Cup, a friendly international association football tournament, will be played from June 11 to 18. In addition to the host Mauritius, Pakistan, Kenya, and Djibouti will participate in the event.

After the Four-Nation Cup, the Pakistan team will head to the Indian city of Bengaluru for the SAFF Championship 2023, scheduled from June 21 to July 4.

The event’s draw placed Pakistan in Group A along with India, Kuwait, and Nepal. Group B consists of Lebanon, Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Lebanon and Kuwait were added as guest teams in the event following Sri Lanka’s withdrawal.