LAHORE: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Saturday announced a 22-member squad for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics Football Qualifiers, starting in Tajikistan next week. 

Goalkeeper-turned-midfielder Maria Khan, who replaced Hajra Khan as the national women’s team’s captain in August 2022, will continue to lead the side in the upcoming AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The squad comprises six forwards, seven midfielders, six defenders and three goalkeepers.

According to the details, the national women’s team will hold a three-day training camp in Dubai before flying out to Tajikistan on April 3 for the first round of the Olympic Qualifiers.

Pakistan will play their first match of the tournament against the Philippines on April 5. They face Hong Kong on April 8 before ending their campaign on April 11 with an encounter against home side Tajikistan.

26 Asian teams will participate in the first round of the Olympic qualifiers. They are divided into five groups of four and two groups of three teams.

The seven group winners from the first round will join Asia’s five highest-ranked teams – North Korea, Japan, Australia, China and South Korea – in the second round of the Paris 2024 Olympic women’s football qualifiers to be held in October.

The three group winners and one best-placed runner-up from the second round will play for the two spots for Paris 2024 Olympics in the final round to be held in November-December 2023.

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