2018 National Challenge Cup
The 2018 PFF National Challenge Cup was the 27th edition of domestic association football cup competition in Pakistan. 24 teams participated in the competition held from 21 April to 10 May 2018. The Pakistan National Challenge Cup was held in Karachi after FIFA lifted its ban on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). The matches were played at the KPT Stadium and the All Brothers Football Stadium, Malir.
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.
The tournament coincided with the appointment of José Antonio Nogueira as head coach of the Pakistan national football team on 16 April 2018. Nogueira reached Karachi on 26 April to witness the event first-hand.
Teams
The 24 teams participating in the tournament are as below:
Group stage
Group A
| National Bank | 0–1 | Ashraf Sugar Mills |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abbas Ahmed 90+2' |
| National Bank | 3–0 | Falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Maqbool2' Munir Ahmed 28'Zain-ul-Abdeen 72' | Report |
| Ashraf Sugar Mills | 0–0 | Falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group B
| Pakistan Airlines | 1–2 | Pakistan Navy |
|---|---|---|
| Tariq Solangi20' | Report | Hafiz Hassan2' M. Ameen 53' |
| Pakistan Airlines | 3–0 | Hazara Coal |
|---|---|---|
| Lashari8' Nasrullah 63' | Report |
| Pakistan Navy | 3–0 | Hazara Coal |
|---|---|---|
| M. Yousaf50' Hafiz Hassan 85'Sajjad Ahmed 89' | Report |
Group C
| Pakistan Airforce | 2–2 | Pakistan Police |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Raza23' Mansoor 27' | Report | Amir Shah74' Sher Hassan 77' |
| Pakistan Police | 1–2 | State Life |
|---|---|---|
| Yousaf Ali12' | Report | Imtiaz25' M. Zakir 71' |
| Pakistan Airforce | 2–0 | State Life |
|---|---|---|
| Samad Khan54' Salman Khan 90+3' | Report |
Group D
| Khan Research Laboratories | 3–0 | Sindh Government Press |
|---|---|---|
| Umair Ali13' Izharullah 43'Zeeshan Siddiqui 45+1' | Report |
| Sindh Government Press | 1–2 | Civil Aviation Authority |
|---|---|---|
| M. Jahanzaib17' | Report | Dawood Javed25' Saeed A. Aziz 60'M. Naeem 86' |
| Khan Research Laboratories | 0–1 | Civil Aviation Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Zaid Umar86' |
Group E
| Karachi Port Trust | 4–1 | Pakistan Public Works Department |
|---|---|---|
| Fareed11' Muhammad 31', 85'Zahid Ahmed 80' | Report | Zubair43' |
| Pakistan Public Works Department | 0–2 | Pakistan Petroleum |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mehrullah50', 62' |
| Karachi Port Trust | 0–1 | Pakistan Petroleum |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Nazir Ahmed12' |
Group F
| WAPDA | 1–0 | Sui Southern Gas |
|---|---|---|
| M. Ali56' | Report |
| Sui Southern Gas | 2–1 | Karachi United |
|---|---|---|
| Bilawal-ur-Rehman24' A. Naeem 72' | Report | Fazal Muhammad39' |
| WAPDA | 3–0 | Karachi United |
|---|---|---|
| Naeem Ullah49' Saadat Hussain 52'Ali Uzair 56' | Report |
Group G
| Pakistan Army | 1–0 | Gwadar Port Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Nisar Ahmed84' (pen.) | Report |
| Gwadar Port Authority | 4–1 | Pakistan Ordnance Factories |
|---|---|---|
| Pervez6', 54' A. Wajid 48'Shoaib 69' | Report | Touseef Ahmad88' |
| Pakistan Army | 1–0 | Pakistan Ordnance Factories |
|---|---|---|
| Umar Waqar9' | Report |
Group H
| K-Electric | 0–1 | Sui Northern Gas |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Umer Javed60' |
| K-Electric | 0–0 | Asia Ghee Mills |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Sui Northern Gas | 0–1 | Asia Ghee Mills |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mubashir Hussian43' |
Knockout round
Quarter-finals
| Ashraf Sugar Mills | 0–3 | Pakistan Petroleum |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abdullah4', 70' Nazir Ahmed 11' |
| WAPDA | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Pakistan Navy |
|---|---|---|
| M. Ahmed98', 118' | Report |
| Pakistan Army | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Pakistan Airforce |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 2–4 |
|
| Civil Aviation Authority | 2–1 | Asia Ghee Mills |
|---|---|---|
| Zaid Umar13' Nouman 66' | Report | Sajid Ali15' |
Semi-finals
| WAPDA | 2–0 | Pakistan Petroleum |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmed14' Usman 29' | Report |
| Pakistan Airforce | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Civil Aviation Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Sohail Khan59' | Report | Saeed A. Aziz25' |
| Penalties | ||
| 4–3 |
|
Third position
| Pakistan Petroleum | 5–1 | Civil Aviation Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Abdullah21' Mehrullah 26'Nazir Ahmed 67', 79', 85' | Report | Zain57' |
Finals
| WAPDA | 1–2 | Pakistan Airforce |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmed11' | Report | M. Mujahid32' 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