Pakistan 2-2 Philippines: first ever FIFA tournament point, Vietnam next on Friday

Updated Tuesday 29 September 2026, 7:30pm PKT. Pakistan 2-2 Philippines. The Pakistan football team came from 2-0 down at half-time to draw with the Philippines in Bandung on Tuesday, earning the country's first ever point and first ever goals at a FIFA tournament. Sandro Reyes put the Philippines ahead in the 24th minute and Bjorn Kristensen doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 32nd. Ali Akbar Khan pulled one back two minutes after the restart (47th minute) and Abdul Samad Arshad equalised on the hour (60th), according to Dawn's match report.

The Philippines are ranked 135th in the world and Pakistan 198th, so a point against them is the best result of Nolberto Solano's time in charge so far. Before the match Solano said he had "belief in my side that we can do better than the opening game". Next: Vietnam on Friday 2 October, 2:00pm PKT, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

This page follows the Pakistan football team through the FIFA ASEAN Cup: fixtures in Pakistan time, results and what each match means. The newest update is always at the top.

Pakistan's FIFA ASEAN Cup fixtures and results

Indonesia's western time (WIB) is 2 hours ahead of Pakistan.

The Vietnam kick-off is from FIFA's match centre (09:00 GMT, which is 2:00pm in Pakistan and 4:00pm in Jakarta).

Where Pakistan stand in Group B

Each team in the group plays the others once. The group winners go to the final on 5 October, and the runners-up play for third place.

• Pakistan: 2 played, 1 point (lost 0-4 to Thailand, drew 2-2 with the Philippines), 2 goals for, 6 against.
• Philippines: 2 played, 1 point (lost 0-1 to Vietnam, drew with Pakistan).
• Thailand and Vietnam both won their openers and meet each other on 29 September; the Philippines play Thailand on the final matchday.

Pakistan cannot finish top unless results elsewhere collapse, but a win over Vietnam, ranked 113th, would give them four points and a real chance of the third-place match, depending on the other Group B results. Even a draw would be a second point against a team ranked 85 places higher, and every match here counts for FIFA ranking points.

How the comeback happened

Pakistan trailed at half-time for the second match running. This time the second half turned, with two goals inside 13 minutes of the restart. Ali Akbar Khan's 47th-minute finish was Pakistan's first goal at a FIFA event, and Abdul Samad Arshad levelled in the 60th. Pakistan then held on for half an hour against the side that had pushed Vietnam close in their opener.

The two teams had last met competitively at the 2013 Peace Cup, when the Philippines won 3-1.

Earlier: Thailand 4-0 Pakistan (26 September)

Thailand beat Pakistan 4-0 in Bandung in the team's first ever match at a FIFA tournament. It was 2-0 at half-time. Teerasak Poeiphimai scored in the 31st and 84th minutes, Jude Soonsup-Bell headed in the second in the 41st, and the third went in off Pakistan defender Haris Zeb in the 64th minute, according to FIFA's match report. FIFA noted that Pakistan held off Thailand, ranked 104 places higher, for long spells before the first goal.

What the FIFA ASEAN Cup is

It is a new FIFA competition for Southeast Asia, played from 24 September to 5 October. Fourteen teams take part: the 11 ASEAN members plus three guests, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong, China. Eight play in Division One in Indonesia, split into two groups; Pakistan are in Group B with Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The squad and the coaches

Head coach Nolberto Solano, the former Peru and Newcastle United midfielder, called the tournament "a big test" before it began, according to Dawn. Captain Abdullah Iqbal leads a 23-man squad that mixes home-based players with players from clubs abroad. Former Newcastle defender Titus Bramble joined as assistant coach this month (our report). Pakistan arrived with some form, having recently won the Diamond Jubilee tournament in the Maldives.

How to follow it

Highlights of the Philippines match are on the Tapmad app, and FIFA's match centre carries line-ups and a live score; check the PFF's official social pages for the Vietnam broadcast in Pakistan. A 90-minute match streamed in HD can use well over 1GB, and every recharge is taxed before it reaches your balance: our mobile load tax calculator shows what a Rs 1,000 load leaves you.

The same week Pakistan won a fifth Asian Games bronze, in PUBG Mobile, and the hockey team plays India in the semi-final: see Pakistan at the Asian Games 2026.