The 2023–2024 National Challenge Cup was the 30th edition of domestic football cup competition in Pakistan. The cup competition, which ran from 24 January 2023 until 12 May 2024, featured 27 departmental teams from across the country vying for the title, which was defended by the 2020 champions WAPDA.

Initially scheduled to be held throughout 2023, the second phase was held in May 2024 after almost 15 months of inactivity.

Background

The tournament took place after a gap of nearly three-and-a-half years because of the Pakistan Football Federation's suspension by FIFA due to a power struggle within the Pakistan Football Federation. FIFA lifted the ban imposed on PFF after the legitimate Normalization Committee body was restored.

The tournament was announced briefly after departmental sports in Pakistan were restored in August 2022 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Many of the departmental clubs were disbanded following the shutdown of departmental sports in Pakistan in September 2021. Departmental teams were then restricted to the National Challenge Cup, following their controversial participation in the Pakistani domestic league setup in the previous years. A PFF official stated that from now on, there will be separate competitions for departments and clubs. When a domestic league is held, it will be solely for clubs.

The PFF Constitution stated that all departmental players need to be “affiliated with a club”, with some teams taking advantage of it such as POPO FC, which had their team playing the Challenge Cup under the department with the name of Mamsons Builders. Lyallpur FC competed under the name of Otto Cranes.

Format

In the first phase, teams, bracketed in seven groups, competed on home and away basis. The leading two teams from each group and the two best third-placed sides progressed to the round of 16. The first phase was held at Karachi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Chaman, Rawalpindi and Islamabad simultaneously.

The second phase was set to be conducted from May 1 to 12 in 2023 at a centre yet to be decided. It was postponed to kick off on the 21st of October until 6 November 2023. After an uncertain inactivity almost 15 months after it began, the National Challenge Cup knockout stage was finally announced to reach its end in Lahore from May 1 to 12 in 2024. The venue was ultimately shifted to Islamabad, with Jinnah Stadium hosting the semifinals and final, and the group stage and the rest of knockout round at local nearby grounds.

Teams

The 27 teams participating in the tournament are as below:

First phase

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Pakistan Navy21011103Advance to Second phase
2Pakistan Police21011103
3Gwadar Port Authority (W)00000000

Gwadar Port Authority withdrew due to their internal issues.

Pakistan Navy1–0Pakistan Police
Noman 69'
Pakistan Police1–0Pakistan Navy
Hasnain 46'

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Pak Afghan Clearing Agency651000016Advance to Second phase
2NIMSO641100013
3MILO61140004
4Hazara Coal Company60150001
Pak Afghan Clearing Agency6–1NIMSO
Sharaf ?', ?', ?' ? ?' ? ?' ? ?'? ?'
MILO1–1Hazara Coal Company
Mohammad Saleem ?'Syed Haider 12'
MILO0–3Pak Afghan Clearing Agency
Sharaf 16' Yar Mohammad 36', 53'
Hazara Coal Company1–3NIMSO
Pak Afghan Clearing Agency?–?Hazara Coal Company
NIMSO1–0MILO
Raza ?'
NIMSO1–1Pak Afghan Clearing Agency
Raza 11'Manan 63'
Hazara Coal Company1–2MILO
Jamshed Ahmad 79'Saleem 83', 86'
Hazara Coal Company?–?Pak Afghan Clearing Agency
MILO0–1NIMSO
Raza ?'
NIMSO?–?Hazara Coal Company
Pak Afghan Clearing Agency?–?MILO

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Asia Ghee Mills641100013Advance to Second phase
2Pakistan Railways62310009
3Ashraf Sugar Mills62130007
4Hussain Homes Textiles61140004
Pakistan Railways0–0Ashraf Sugar Mills
Asia Ghee Mills?–?Hussain Textile
Pakistan Railways0–0Hussain Textile
Asia Ghee Mills2–1Ashraf Sugar Mills
Pakistan Railways1–3Asia Ghee Mills
Siraj Uddin 70'Fareed Ullah 12' Mohammad Jamil 62' Mohammad Hasan 75'
Hussain Textiles0–2Ashraf Sugar Mills
Nasir 12' Kashif ?' (pen.)
Ashraf Sugar Mills0–1Pakistan Railways
Asmat Khan ?'
Hussain Textile2–4Asia Ghee Mills
Mohammad Muawiya ?' Syed Moosa Qasim 30'Amir Sohail 13' Syed Haider Ali 51' Mohammad Hasan 55', 89'
Hussain Home Textile0–0Pakistan Railways
Ashraf Sugar Mills2–1Asia Ghee Mills
Muhammad Umair Ashraf ?', ?'Hassan ?'
Pakistan Railways1–1Asia Ghee Mills
Sirajuddin 20'Mohammad Hassan 67'
Ashraf Sugar Mills0–2Hussain Textiles
Rehman Akhter ?' Asad Ali ?'

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Otto Cranes642000014Advance to Second phase
2SA Farms631200010
3Masha United631200010
4Klash Mills60060000
Masha United3–0Klash Mills
Musaddaq ?', ?', ?'
SA Farms2–2Otto Cranes
Hussain 3' Sufyan 4'Haider 37' Hussain 69'
Masha United1–1Otto Cranes
Ikram 45'Naveed 74'
Klash Mills0–1SA Farms
Masha United4–2SA Farms
Ikram ?', ?' Musaddiq ?' Ibrar ?'Hamza ?', ?'
Klash Mills0–3Otto Cranes
Haider ?', ?' Hasnain ?'
Klash Mills0–1Masha United
Nadeem ?'
Otto Cranes2–0SA Farms
Hussain ?' Sagar ?'
Otto Cranes2–1Masha United
Abdul Rehman 14' Hussain Shah 58'Usman 68'
SA Farms6–0Klash Mills
Ali ?', ?', ?' Sufyan ?', ?' Hussain ?'
SA Farms4–2Masha United
Ali 14', ?' Atif ?' Usama ?'Yousuf 45', 90'
Otto Cranes4–1Klash Mills
Haider Ali ?', ?', ?', ?'Shahraiz ?'

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1WAPDA633000012Advance to Second phase
2SA Gardens62310009
3Higher Education Commission61410007
4Saif Textiles61050003
WAPDA2–2Higher Education Commission
SA Gardens3–0Saif Textile
Shakeel Ahmed 48' Umair 72' Murtaza 88'
SA Gardens1–1WAPDA
Omar Saeed 16'Faisal 86'
Saif Textile0–2Higher Education Commission
WAPDA5–0Saif Textile
Faheem 1' Dost 9', 56', 61' Uzair 74'
Higher Education Commission0–0SA Gardens
Higher Education Commission0–0WAPDA
Saif Textile1–3SA Gardens
Abdul Kalam 86'Mohammad Umair 32' Murtaza 42' Samnan 86'
Saif Textile0–3WAPDA
Adeel Ali 35' Dost 35' Faheem 41'
SA Gardens2–2Higher Education Commission
Murtaza ?' Touqeer ?'Waqas ?' Rehman ?'
WAPDA1–0SA Gardens
Adeel Ali 11'
Higher Education Commission0–1Saif Textile
Asad ?'

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Khan Research Laboratories651000016Advance to Second phase
2Pakistan Army641100013
3Muslim Hands61050003
4POF Wah61050003
Khan Research Laboratories7–0POF Wah
Moin Ahmed ?', ?', ?' Waheed ?', ?' ? ?' ? ?'
Muslim Hands0–2Pakistan Army
Afzaal 64' Dabeer Hussain 72'
Muslim Hands0–1Khan Research Laboratories
Iftikhar Ali 90'
Pakistan Army4–0POF Wah
Qadeer Hussain ?', ?', ?' ? ?'
Khan Research Laboratories0–0Pakistan Army
POF Wah1–0Muslim Hands
Zain-ul-Aabdeen ?'
POF Wah0–2Khan Research Laboratories
Iftikhar Ali ?' Waheed ?'
Pakistan Army3–0Muslim Hands
Afzaal 45' Sarfaraz 65' Abrar 78'
Pakistan Army0–2Khan Research Laboratories
Waheed 17', 48'
Muslim Hands5–3POF Wah
Ali ?' Shahid ?' Asim ?' Tufail ?' Sajid ?'Zain ?', ?' Haider ?'
Khan Research Laboratories2–0Muslim Hands
Waheed 41' Najeebullah 90'
POF Wah0–3Pakistan Army
Qadeer Hussain ?', ?', ?'

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Pakistan Air Force641100013Advance to Second phase
2WSTC631200010
3Mamsons Builders62130007
4BHCC61140004
WSTC2–2Pakistan Air Force
Mamsons Builders1–1BHCC
Mohammad Rizwan 31'Afridi 74'
WSTC1–2Mamsons Builders
BHCC0–3Pakistan Air Force
Mamsons Builders1–3Pakistan Air Force
Waleed 32'Samad ?' Essa ?' Muhammad Mujahid ?'
WSTC2–1BHCC
Zahid ?' Rizwan ?'Riaz ?'
Pakistan Air Force4–0WSTC
Abdul Samad 46' Essa 70' Mansoor Khan 75' Faisal 88'
BHCC2–1Mamsons Builders
Rehmatullah 53' Danish 76'Waleed 42'
Pakistan Air Force3–0BHCC
Fahim 45' Essa 62' Naik Alam 72'
Mamsons Builders1–3WSTC
Adeel Younas ?'Rizwan ?', ?' Maab ?'
BHCC0–1WSTC
Rizwan 88'
Pakistan Air Force1–2Mamsons Builders
Samad ?'Taha ?' Adeel Younas ?'

Second phase

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Pakistan Army3300101+99Advance to Quarter-finals
2Higher Education Commission320154+16
3Pak Afghan Clearing Agency310226−43
4NIMSO300328−60
NIMSO1–3Higher Education Commission
Zulfiqar Ali ?'Fakhar Abbas ?' Ahmed Hassan ?' Hammad Hassan ?'
Pak Afghan Clearing Agency0–4Pakistan Army
Qadeer Hussain ?', ?' Abrar ?' Salman ?'
Pakistan Army3–1Higher Education Commission
Afzaal 15' Umair Ali 28' Haris 52'Muhammad Inam 83'
Pak Afghan Clearing Agency2–1NIMSO
Sharab Khan ?', ?'Musaveer ?'
Pak Afghan Clearing Agency0–1Higher Education Commission
Haleem ?'
NIMSO0–3Pakistan Army
Anees ?', ?' Hassan ?'

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Khan Research Laboratories320183+56Advance to Quarter-finals
2Pakistan Navy320162+46
3Masha United311114−34
4SA Farms301206−61
SA Farms0–0Masha United
Khan Research Laboratories1–3Pakistan Navy
Ali Agha ?'Noman Dodo ?' Muhammad Naeem ?' Abdul Rehman ?'
Pakistan Navy0–1Masha United
Mujahid Hussain ?'
Khan Research Laboratories3–0SA Farms
Najeebullah 51', 90' Waqar Baloch 77'
Khan Research Laboratories4–0Masha United
Shahzaib ?' Najeebullah ?' Waheed ?' Ali Agha ?'
SA Farms0–3Pakistan Navy
Nauman ?' Farhanullah ?' Naveed ?'

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1WAPDA3300113+89Advance to Quarter-finals
2WSTC311156−14
3Otto Cranes310269−33
4Pakistan Police301226−41
WSTC1–1Pakistan Police
Mohib Ullah ?'Qurban Ali Hazara ?'
Otto Cranes2–5WAPDA
Sagar Masih ?', ?'Dost ?', ?' Ahmed Faheem ?', ?' Umar Hayat ?'
WAPDA3–0Pakistan Police
Ghazi ?', ?' Dost ?'
Otto Cranes2–3WSTC
Muhammad Saad ?' Saddam Hussain ?'Raza ?', ?' Zaid ?'
WSTC1–3WAPDA
? ?'Dost ?', ?', ?'
Otto Cranes2–1Pakistan Police
Muhammad Saad ?' Muhammad Shahzaib ?'Fateh ?'

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1SA Gardens321085+37Advance to Quarter-finals
2Pakistan Air Force320183+56
3Asia Ghee Mills311113−24
4Pakistan Railways300339−60
SA Gardens5–3Pakistan Railways
Roger ?', ?' Tauqeer ?' Murtaza ?' Umair ?'Abdul Rehman ?' Nabeel ?' Masood ?'
Pakistan Air Force3–0Asia Ghee Mills
Samad Khan Wazir ?', ?' Faisal Baloch ?'
Asia Ghee Mills1–0Pakistan Railways
Muhammad Suleman Ali ?'
Pakistan Air Force2–3SA Gardens
Haseeb Khan ?' Faisal ?'Murtaza Hussain ?', ?' Samnan ?'
SA Gardens0–0Asia Ghee Mills
Pakistan Air Force3–0Pakistan Railways
Mujahid ?', ?' Fahimullah ?'

Knockout round

Bracket

Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
7 May – 15:30
Pakistan Army1
10 May – 21:00
Pakistan Navy0
Pakistan Army0
8 may – 15:30
WAPDA2
WAPDA1
12 May – 20:30
Pakistan Air Force0
WAPDA1
7 May – 15:30
SA Gardens0
Khan Research Laboratories0
10 May – 18:00
Higher Education Commission1
Higher Education Commission0 (2)
8 May – 15:30
SA Gardens (p)0 (3)Third place
SA Gardens1
12 May – 17:00
WSTC0
Pakistan Army4
Higher Education Commission0

Quarter-finals

Khan Research Laboratories0–1Higher Education Commission
Farrukh ?'
Pakistan Army1–0Pakistan Navy
Qadeer Hussain ?'
WAPDA1–0Pakistan Air Force
Dost ?'
SA Gardens1–0WSTC
Umar Sadozai ?'

Semi-finals

SA Gardens0–0 (a.e.t.)Higher Education Commission
Penalties
3–2
Pakistan Army0–2WAPDA
Faheem 58' Dost 90'

Third position

Pakistan Army4–0Higher Education Commission

Final

SA Gardens0–1WAPDA
Yousaf Ahmed 17'

Awards

As of 12 May 2024

AwardRecipientClub
Top ScorerShayak DostWAPDA
Most Valuable PlayerMuhammad Umar HayatWAPDA
Best GoalkeeperSalman ul HaqSA Gardens
Best RefereeIrshad ul Haq-
Best Assistant RefereeMuhammad Ali-
Fair play-Higher Education Commission

External links