As Spain celebrated lifting the FIFA World Cup after defeating Argentina in a dramatic final in New Jersey, billions of people around the world were once again reminded why football remains the planet's most popular sport. The 2026 World Cup, expanded to 48 teams, was designed to make the tournament more inclusive and give more nations an opportunity to compete on the biggest stage.

Yet one country remained conspicuous by its absence: Pakistan.

For a nation of more than 250 million people—the world's fifth most populous country—that absence should be a source of national embarrassment. Population, of course, does not automatically translate into sporting success. But it certainly provides a vast pool of potential talent. Countries with populations a fraction of Pakistan's regularly qualify for the World Cup. Iceland, with fewer than 400,000 people, qualified in 2018. Croatia, home to under four million people, reached the final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022. Morocco, with about 38 million people, became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.

Pakistan, meanwhile, cannot even get close. This is not because Pakistanis lack athletic ability. Nor is it because football is unpopular. Quite the opposite. Every World Cup transforms Pakistani cities into seas of Argentine, Brazilian, German and now Spanish jerseys. Cafes remain packed until the early hours of the morning. Children play football in streets, parks and empty plots of land across Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and countless smaller towns.

Pakistan has football lovers in abundance. What it does not have is a football system. The reasons are depressingly........

© The Friday Times