On June 10, 2026, Pakistan ended one of the longest waits in its sporting history, lifting the Pakistan international football title that had eluded the country for 74 years with a 2-0 victory over Afghanistan in the final of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in Male, Maldives.
Shayak Dost opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead kick in the 24th minute, and substitute Harun Hamid sealed the win deep into stoppage time, sparking celebrations among the Pakistani contingent and supporters back home. It was Pakistan’s first standalone international football title since sharing the Asian Quadrangular crown with India in 1952, and the first senior men’s international tournament triumph since the 1991 South Asian Games.
Pakistan International Football Title: How the Final Was Won
Playing at the National Football Stadium in the Maldivian capital, the Shaheens produced a disciplined display against an Afghanistan side they had already beaten in the round-robin stage. Pakistan took the lead midway through the first half when Dost, whose first name is also spelled Shayek in some reports, met the ball with an acrobatic overhead kick that left the Afghan goalkeeper with no chance.
Pakistan held the 1-0 advantage into the break and defended it with composure in the second half, with goalkeeper Saqib Hanif and the back line keeping Afghanistan at bay. The insurance goal arrived in the fourth minute of injury time, when Hamid produced a brilliant solo effort to make it 2-0 and confirm the Pakistan international football title.
The Road to the Final in Male
Pakistan’s route to the June 10 final had already made history. Three days earlier, on June 7, the Shaheens defeated the same Afghanistan side 2-0 in their final round-robin match to top the four-nation tournament under head coach Nolberto Solano. Umar Nawaz converted a low cross from Dost in the fifth minute, and Hamid, set up by Adil Nabi, struck in injury time to seal a result that sent Pakistan into the title clash.
That victory marked Pakistan’s first appearance in the final of a stand-alone international tournament in 64 years, since the 1962 Merdeka Cup, where Pakistan finished runners-up to Indonesia. The four-nation Diamond Jubilee event, held in the Maldives from June 1 to 10, 2026, became the stage for the country’s football resurgence, and the Pakistan international football title was the reward for topping the group and holding their nerve in the final.
Breaking a 74-Year Drought
To understand the scale of the achievement, consider the timeline. Pakistan’s only previous international football crown of this kind came in 1952, when the team shared the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament title with India. The country’s last senior men’s international tournament win of any kind dated back to the 1991 South Asian Games, where Pakistan beat Maldives 2-0 in the final. The Pakistan international football title drought had stretched across generations of players.
For a sport that has long struggled for recognition and stability in Pakistan, the Diamond Jubilee triumph was described in national coverage as a defining moment, a breakthrough decades in the making for players, coaches, and supporters who kept faith through difficult years. The Pakistan international football title finally gave that faith its reward.
Homecoming and What Comes Next
The victorious squad returned home on Thursday, June 11, a day after the final, to widespread acclaim for the Pakistan international football title. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the team on the historic win, while Interior Minister and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani also hailed the achievement. Gilani announced special rewards for the players after the Maldives victory.
Heartiest congratulations to Pakistan’s football team on winning the 2026 Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in the Maldives. (Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as reported by Geo Super)
The win added to a memorable sporting stretch for the country, which also saw Pakistan clinch the T20I series against Sri Lanka and Maaz Sadaqat soar in the T20I rankings, while hockey’s revival gathered pace with a new league.
The Pakistan international football title gives the country’s football a foundation to build on, with a squad that showed discipline, organization, and big-match temperament in Male. For supporters, the night of June 10, 2026 will be remembered as the evening the 74-year wait finally ended.
Photo: footballer.pk, Pakistan players celebrate during the Diamond Jubilee tournament in Male, June 2026
Sources
- The News: Victorious football team returns home
- The News: Pakistan’s historic football triumph in Maldives receives widespread acclaim
- Geo Super: PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulates Pakistan football team on Diamond Jubilee triumph
- The News: Pakistan into final of Diamond Jubilee Soccer
- Wikipedia: 2026 Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.