ISLAMABAD July 27 (Online): Pakistan avoided a potentially fiery clash against Afghanistan but will again face Cambodia in their quest for a first-ever victory in the FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Just over four years on from losing to Cambodia on the road to last year’s World Cup in Qatar, Pakistan will once again cross paths with Cambodia in the home-and-away first round of qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Thursday’s draw ceremony at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur also saw Pakistan discover their second-round group-stage opponents should they overcome Cambodia.
The winners of the tie will move into Group ‘G’ featuring Asian giants Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tajikistan but getting into the second round once looks like a tough task for the national team which has lost all eight matches it has played in the last year.
Those matches were the first since Pakistan, who are 201st in the FIFA rankings, lost in both legs to Cambodia in June 2019. They lost 2-0 away in Phnom Penh before going down 2-1 in the home leg, which was played in Qatar.
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