Trump says he urged FIFA to consider Pakistan for World Cup

WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had urged FIFA to consider Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, and said he had spoken to the governing body’s president about the matter.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said he wanted to “repay” Pakistan’s military leadership and prime minister for what they had done for the United States and the world.

“I want to repay Great Field Marshal and PM of Pakistan for what they have done for the world and especially for US,” Trump wrote.

He added that he had “talked to the FIFA president” about allowing Pakistan’s football team into an upcoming World Cup or “removing a NATO team to make some room.”

There was no immediate comment from FIFA. Trump did not provide further details on the alleged conversation.

The Pakistan national football team represents Pakistan in men’s international football in FIFA-authorised events and is governed by the Pakistan Football Federation, the sport’s national governing body.

Pakistan became a member of FIFA in 1948 and joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954. The team made its international debut in 1950 but has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals.

Outside the South Asian region, Pakistan has not qualified for any major international tournament. Its limited successes include winning the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament and securing gold medals at the South Asian Games in 1989 and 1991.

The team enjoyed a brief period of relative success in the 1950s and early 1960s, but its performance declined as football’s global profile expanded. Analysts and observers have cited long-standing issues including weak organisation, administrative neglect and limited investment in the sport.

Football in Pakistan has also struggled to gain wider popularity, largely overshadowed by cricket, which dominates the sporting landscape across South Asia.