| National Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Pakistan | 
| City | Karachi | 
| Dates | 21 April 2018 –10 May 2018[1] | 
| Teams | 24 | 
| Venue(s) | All Brother's Football Stadium KPT Stadium | 
| Defending champions | Khan Research Laboratories | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Pakistan Air Force (2nd title) | 
| Runner-up | WAPDA | 
| Third place | Pakistan Petroleum | 
| Fourth place | Civil Aviation Authority | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 | 
| Goals scored | 74 (2.31 per match) | 
| Attendance | 42,500 (1,328 per match) | 
| Scoring leader(s) | Nazir Ahmed (5 goals)[2] | 
| Best player | Zaid Umar | 
| Best goalkeeper | Ghazanfar Yasin | 
| All statistics correct as of May 10, 2018. | |
The 2018 PFF National Challenge Cup was the 27th edition of domestic cup competition in Pakistan. 24 teams participated in the competition, from 21 April to 10 May 2018. The Pakistan National Challenge Cup was held in Karachi after FIFA lifted it ban.[3] The matches took place at the KPT Stadium and the All Brothers Football Stadium, Malir.[4]
The tournament took place after a gap of two years due to a power struggle within the Pakistan Football Federation. The Federation was being run by a court-appointed administrator, whose appointment was declared unlawful by a division bench of the High Court which ordered financial and administrative control to be handed over to the legitimate body headed by Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat. FIFA also lifted the ban imposed on PFF after the legitimate body was restored by the court ruling.[3]
The tournament coincided with the appointment of José Antonio Nogueira as head coach of the Pakistan national football team on 16 April 2018.[5] Nogueira reached Karachi on 26 April to witness the event first-hand.[6]
Teams
The 24 teams participating in the tournament are as below:[1]
| # | Name | # | Name | # | Name | # | Name | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K-Electric F.C. | 7 | Pakistan Airlines | 13 | Pakistan Police | 19 | Civil Aviation Authority | 
| 2 | WAPDA | 8 | National Bank | 14 | Pakistan Public Works Department | 20 | Karachi United | 
| 3 | Pakistan Army | 9 | Sui Northern Gas | 15 | Sindh Government Press | 21 | Hazara Coal | 
| 4 | Khan Research Laboratories | 10 | Karachi Port Trust | 16 | Gwadar Port Authority | 22 | Pakistan Ordnance Factories | 
| 5 | Pakistan Airforce | 11 | Pakistan Navy | 17 | Sui Southern Gas | 23 | Ashraf Sugar Mills | 
| 6 | Falcon | 12 | Pakistan Petroleum | 18 | State Life | 24 | Asia Ghee Mills | 
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashraf Sugar Mills | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | National Bank | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Falcon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 1 | 
| National Bank | 0–1 | Ashraf Sugar Mills | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abbas Ahmed  90+2' | 
| National Bank | 3–0 | Falcon | 
|---|---|---|
| Maqbool  2' Munir Ahmed  28' Zain-ul-Abdeen  72' | Report | 
| Ashraf Sugar Mills | 0–0 | Falcon | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan Navy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | Pakistan Airlines | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Hazara Coal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 | 
| Pakistan Airlines | 1–2 | Pakistan Navy | 
|---|---|---|
| Tariq Solangi  20' | Report | Hafiz Hassan  2' M. Ameen  53' | 
| Pakistan Airlines | 3–0 | Hazara Coal | 
|---|---|---|
| Lashari  8' Nasrullah  63' | Report | 
| Pakistan Navy | 3–0 | Hazara Coal | 
|---|---|---|
| M. Yousaf  50' Hafiz Hassan  85' Sajjad Ahmed  89' | Report | 
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan Airforce | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | State Life | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Pakistan Police | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 | 
| Pakistan Airforce | 2–2 | Pakistan Police | 
|---|---|---|
| Ali Raza  23' Mansoor  27' | Report | Amir Shah  74' Sher Hassan  77' | 
| Pakistan Police | 1–2 | State Life | 
|---|---|---|
| Yousaf Ali  12' | Report | Imtiaz  25' M. Zakir  71' | 
| Pakistan Airforce | 2–0 | State Life | 
|---|---|---|
| Samad Khan  54' Salman Khan  90+3' | Report | 
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Civil Aviation Authority | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | Khan Research Laboratories | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Sindh Government Press | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | 
| Khan Research Laboratories | 3–0 | Sindh Government Press | 
|---|---|---|
| Umair Ali  13' Izharullah  43' Zeeshan Siddiqui  45+1' | Report | 
| Sindh Government Press | 1–2 | Civil Aviation Authority | 
|---|---|---|
| M. Jahanzaib  17' | Report | Dawood Javed  25' Saeed A. Aziz  60' M. Naeem  86' | 
| Khan Research Laboratories | 0–1 | Civil Aviation Authority | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Zaid Umar  86' | 
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan Petroleum | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 6 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | Karachi Port Trust | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Pakistan Public Works Department | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | 
| Karachi Port Trust | 4–1 | Pakistan Public Works Department | 
|---|---|---|
| Fareed  11' Muhammad  31', 85' Zahid Ahmed  80' | Report | Zubair  43' | 
| Pakistan Public Works Department | 0–2 | Pakistan Petroleum | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mehrullah  50', 62' | 
| Karachi Port Trust | 0–1 | Pakistan Petroleum | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Nazir Ahmed  12' | 
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAPDA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 6 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | Sui Southern Gas | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Karachi United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | 
| WAPDA | 1–0 | Sui Southern Gas | 
|---|---|---|
| M. Ali  56' | Report | 
| Sui Southern Gas | 2–1 | Karachi United | 
|---|---|---|
| Bilawal-ur-Rehman  24' A. Naeem  72' | Report | Fazal Muhammad  39' | 
| WAPDA | 3–0 | Karachi United | 
|---|---|---|
| Naeem Ullah  49' Saadat Hussain  52' Ali Uzair  56' | Report | 
Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pakistan Army | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | Gwadar Port Authority | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Pakistan Ordnance Factories | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | 
| Pakistan Army | 1–0 | Gwadar Port Authority | 
|---|---|---|
| Nisar Ahmed  84' (pen.) | Report | 
| Gwadar Port Authority | 4–1 | Pakistan Ordnance Factories | 
|---|---|---|
| Pervez  6', 54' A. Wajid  48' Shoaib  69' | Report | Touseef Ahmad  88' | 
| Pakistan Army | 1–0 | Pakistan Ordnance Factories | 
|---|---|---|
| Umar Waqar  9' | Report | 
Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia Ghee Mills | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Advance to Knockout round | 
| 2 | Sui Northern Gas | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | K-Electric | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 1 | 
| K-Electric | 0–1 | Sui Northern Gas | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Umer Javed  60' | 
| K-Electric | 0–0 | Asia Ghee Mills | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
| Sui Northern Gas | 0–1 | Asia Ghee Mills | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mubashir Hussian  43' | 
Knockout round
Quarter-finals
| Ashraf Sugar Mills | 0–3 | Pakistan Petroleum | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abdullah  4', 70' Nazir Ahmed  11' | 
| WAPDA | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Pakistan Navy | 
|---|---|---|
| M. Ahmed  98', 118' | Report | 
| Pakistan Army | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Pakistan Airforce | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 
 | 2–4 | 
 | 
| Civil Aviation Authority | 2–1 | Asia Ghee Mills | 
|---|---|---|
| Zaid Umar  13' Nouman  66' | Report | Sajid Ali  15' | 
Semi-finals
| WAPDA | 2–0 | Pakistan Petroleum | 
|---|---|---|
| Ahmed  14' Usman  29' | Report | 
| Pakistan Airforce | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Civil Aviation Authority | 
|---|---|---|
| Sohail Khan  59' | Report | Saeed A. Aziz  25' | 
| Penalties | ||
| 
 | 4–3 | 
 | 
Third position
| Pakistan Petroleum | 5–1 | Civil Aviation Authority | 
|---|---|---|
| Abdullah  21' Mehrullah  26' Nazir Ahmed  67', 79', 85' | Report | Zain  57' | 
Finals
| WAPDA | 1–2 | Pakistan Airforce | 
|---|---|---|
| Ahmed  11' | Report | M. Mujahid  32' Samad Khan  66' | 
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 3 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| Ashraf Sugar Mills | 0 | |||||||||
| 7 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| Pakistan Petroleum | 3 | |||||||||
| Pakistan Petroleum | 0 | |||||||||
| 4 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| WAPDA | 2 | |||||||||
| Pakistan Navy | 0 | |||||||||
| 10 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| WAPDA (AET) | 2 | |||||||||
| WAPDA | 1 | |||||||||
| 5 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| Pakistan Airforce | 2 | |||||||||
| Pakistan Airforce (P) | 0 (4) | |||||||||
| 8 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| Pakistan Army | 0 (2) | |||||||||
| Pakistan Airforce (P) | 1 (4) | |||||||||
| 6 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| Civil Aviation Authority | 1 (3) | Third place | ||||||||
| Civil Aviation Authority | 2 | |||||||||
| 9 May – 4:00 PM | ||||||||||
| Asia Ghee Mills | 1 | |||||||||
| Pakistan Petroleum | 5 | |||||||||
| Civil Aviation Authority | 1 | |||||||||
Top scorers
- As of 10 May 2018[2]
| Position | Player | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nazir Ahmed | Pakistan Petroleum | 5 | 
| 2 | Abdullah | Pakistan Petroleum | 3 | 
| Mehrullah | Pakistan Petroleum | ||
| 4 | Samad Khan | Pakistan Airforce | 2 | 
| Muhammad Ahmed | WAPDA | ||
| Pervez Kouda | Gwadar Port Authority | ||
| Hafiz Hassan Faiz | Pakistan Navy | ||
| Muhammad | Karachi Port Trust | ||
| Zaid Umar | Civil Aviation Authority | ||
| Saeed Abdul Aziz | Civil Aviation Authority | 
References
- 1 2 Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2018-04-19). "National Challenge Cup from Saturday". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- 1 2 "National Challenge Cup". globalsportsarchive.com. Global Sports Archive. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- 1 2 "PFF announces National Football Cup 2018 after FIFA lifts ban". Arab News. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ↑ Editorial Staff (2018-04-19). "National Challenge Cup from Saturday [Dawn]". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- ↑ "Brazilian coach to train Pakistan football team: PFF President". The Nation. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- ↑ Editorial Staff (2018-04-26). "Nogueira arrives, sees National Challenge Cup match [The News]". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2022-01-06.

