Jakarta, July 5, 2025: Pakistan’s women’s football team achieved a major milestone on Saturday by defeating Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in their final Group D match of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, marking a historic run in their first-ever campaign in the tournament.
The victory at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium brought Pakistan’s tally to two wins in three matches — a strong comeback after their opening 8-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei on June 29. The team had previously stunned host nation Indonesia with a 2-0 win earlier this week.
Mariam Mahmood opened the scoring in sensational fashion, netting her first international goal in just the first minute of the match. According to the AFC, the goal came after Layla Aliya won possession near the halfway line and sent a through-ball toward Dilnura Abibulla. A fumble by the Kyrgyz goalkeeper allowed Mariam to calmly slot the ball into an empty net.
Kyrgyzstan responded in the second half, with Alina Gaparova equalizing in the 69th minute with a low drive into the bottom corner. However, Pakistan held their ground and soon regained the lead to seal the match 2-1.
With this result, Pakistan now awaits the outcome of the final group match between Chinese Taipei and Indonesia, which will determine whether the team advances to the next stage.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) celebrated the team’s debut performance with an emotional post on Instagram:
“For the first time in history, Pakistan took part in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers — and what a statement they made.”
The federation hailed the players’ resilience, highlighting their comeback from a difficult start to securing two consecutive victories.
“With these wins, they’ve written a new chapter in Pakistan’s football journey — a moment of pride for every supporter of the game,” the PFF added, congratulating the team, coaching staff, and officials for their efforts.
Pakistan was drawn in Group D alongside Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan. The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be hosted in Uzbekistan.
