Pakistan and Iran have agreed to deepen football cooperation through a three-year partnership targeting youth development, futsal and coaching. The agreement aims to create fresh opportunities for players, coaches and technical professionals while improving football standards in both countries.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their cooperation. The partnership also seeks to strengthen sporting ties between the neighbouring countries.
PFF and Iran Sign Football Development Agreement
The two federations signed the agreement on October 18 at a local hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan. PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani and FFIRI President Mehdi Taj signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.
The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation in youth football, futsal, coach education, technical exchanges and national team competitions. Moreover, both federations aim to raise technical standards and expand development opportunities.
Through this partnership, Pakistan hopes to benefit from Iran’s established experience in international football and futsal. Iran has built a strong reputation in Asian and international futsal competitions.
Therefore, the collaboration could support Pakistan’s efforts to improve its futsal structures, coaching standards and player development pathways.
How Iranian Coaches Are Already Helping Pakistan
The partnership builds on existing professional connections between the two football communities. Iranian coaches already lead Pakistan’s men’s and women’s national futsal teams.
Ali Imani coaches the men’s team, while Fatemeh Sharif Noghabi leads the women’s side. Their involvement provides an existing foundation for technical cooperation and knowledge-sharing.
Additionally, the agreement could expand opportunities for Pakistani coaches to learn through Iranian training programmes and specialised coaching courses.
Youth Football, Training Camps and Coaching Exchanges
Under the MoU, the federations intend to organise friendly matches, joint training camps and invitational tournaments for youth national teams. These activities could give emerging players more opportunities to gain international experience.
The agreement also covers several important areas of football development, including:
- Talent identification: Sharing expertise to identify promising young footballers.
- Academy development: Supporting improvements in youth training structures and development pathways.
- Youth competitions: Exploring cooperation in organising competitions for young players.
- Coach education: Creating opportunities for PFF youth coaches to join FFIRI programmes and courses.
- Sports science: Exchanging knowledge in sports science and sports medicine.
Together, these initiatives aim to strengthen youth development while improving the technical preparation of players and coaching personnel.
What the Agreement Means for Futsal in Pakistan
Futsal represents another major focus of the Pakistan-Iran football partnership. Both federations intend to arrange friendly matches and joint training camps for their national futsal teams.
Furthermore, the MoU provides for coaching and refereeing courses, alongside the potential deployment of Iranian futsal coaches and experts to Pakistan.
The federations also plan to exchange expertise in managing and organising national futsal leagues. This cooperation could support the development of Pakistan’s domestic futsal competitions.
Women’s Football and Wider National Team Cooperation
Beyond youth football and futsal, the agreement covers grassroots football, women’s football, physical preparation and refereeing. It also includes cooperation involving football facilities and talented player development.
Additionally, the federations may collaborate on international friendly matches involving senior men’s and women’s teams. The proposed framework also covers youth sides, Olympic teams, futsal teams and other national representative teams.
These opportunities could broaden sporting exchanges while allowing both countries to explore further areas of technical cooperation.
Three-Year Framework for Football Cooperation
The MoU establishes a cooperation framework lasting up to three years. However, both federations will need to agree on specific activities, implementation arrangements and work programmes.
The partnership reflects a shared effort to turn longstanding relations between Pakistan and Iran into practical sporting collaboration. By combining technical exchanges, training opportunities and competitive exposure, the federations aim to support football development.
For Pakistan, the agreement offers potential avenues to strengthen youth football and futsal while expanding opportunities for players and coaches.
For the latest updates, visit and follow The Truth International website (www.thetruthinternational.com) and subscribe to the YouTube Channel.
