Pakistan street child football team to participate in elusive event

Pakistan’s street football team will compete in the Norway Cup, the world’s largest tournament for people aged 10 to 19.

The sporting event will begin on July 29, 2023, in Oslo, Norway.

Previously, Pakistan finished second in the Street Child World Cup in Doha, Qatar, with an excellent performance.

They were unbeaten throughout the tournament but lost on penalties to Egypt (4-3).

Tufail Shinwari of Pakistan was the tournament’s best player, scoring 13 goals. Before his team advanced to the knock-out stage, the 16-year-old became the centre of attention after scoring back-to-back hat-tricks against Bosnia and Qatar.

India exited the competition after finishing second in its group.

Street Child United, a UK-based non-profit, organized the 11-day event comprising 28 teams from 24 nations.

The Pakistani team was chosen from a pool of 90 players who were taught over the course of a year by Muslim Hands, a humanitarian organization in Pakistan.

Families of selected players were also given stipends during the trial stage to encourage them to enable their offspring, many of whom labor to support their relatives, to play professional football.

They finished second in the previous edition in Russia (2018), and third in the last edition in Brazil (2014).

Pakistan has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, and the men’s national team is presently ranked 195th, somewhat higher than its lowest standing of 205 in 2019.

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