The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) appointed Stephen Constantine, the former Indian Football Team coach, as the new head coach of the Pakistan football team on Saturday. The news comes before of their match against Cambodia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Following the team’s dismal performance in recent spells, PFF opted to fire the former manager, Shehzad Anwar.
“In order to provide Pakistan with the best chance of winning the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Cambodia, the Pakistan Football Federation named Stephen Constantine as the new men’s national team head coach,” PFF said in a press release.
Constantine is one of Asia’s most accomplished coaches. He began his management career by coaching the Nepal national team for two years before taking over the Indian football team. During his long coaching career, he has coached major clubs such as AFC Bournemouth of the Premier League (PL) and Millwall of the English Football League (EFL).
In 2003, the 60-year-old led India to a silver medal in the Afro-Asian Games. During his second spell with the Blues, he also guided them to the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in 2016. In 2018, India won the Intercontinental Cup under his supervision, and he was crowned Coach of the Year in the country.
The appointment of the seasoned Englishman can offer much-needed improvement to the men’s football squad, which has struggled for a long time to play with a consistent playing style. Pakistan will play Cambodia in the opening leg of the World Cup Qualifiers on October 12, followed by their home match on October 17.