Both Strengthened by Mixed Players, Women's National Team Can't Underestimate Pakistan

TANGERANG, KOMPAS — The head coach of the Indonesian women's national football team, Satoru Mochizuki, will reconsider the plan to rotate players during the match against Pakistan in the continuation of the 2026 Asian Cup Qualifiers. Indonesia must not underestimate Pakistan. Moreover, with players of mixed heritage and experience in foreign competitions, Pakistan is not an easy opponent for "Garuda Pertiwi," which is targeting full points to maintain its chances of qualifying.

The match between the Indonesian women's national team and Pakistan in the 2026 Asian Cup Qualifiers will take place on Wednesday (2/7/2026) at 20:00. Like all matches in Group D, this game will be held at the Indomilk Arena Stadium, Tangerang Regency, Banten.

Indonesia currently occupies the second position in the temporary standings of Group D, thanks to a 1-0 victory in the opening match against Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, Pakistan is currently at the bottom of the group after suffering a heavy defeat of 0-8 against Taiwan.

If we look at the world rankings as of June 12, Pakistan occupies the lowest position among other teams in the group, ranked 157th. Kyrgyzstan is in a better position at 136th, Indonesia at 95th, and Taiwan is the highest-ranked team in the group, at 42nd.

The world ranking is calculated based on points from match results recognized by FIFA over the past four years. However, this ranking often does not accurately reflect the strength of the teams, and it may merely represent a number on paper.

Kyrgyzstan, which ranks below Indonesia, for instance, was also able to withstand the pressure of the host and ultimately lost by a narrow score. According to Satoru Mochizuki, Pakistan was also able to put up a fight against Taiwan, although it ultimately suffered a significant defeat.

Pakistan's performance made Mochizuki reconsider his plans to rotate his players. The Japanese coach initially intended to implement player rotation.

The aim is to ensure that the squad's condition is maintained in facing three consecutive matches, especially since the last match will be against the toughest team in the group, Taiwan. The match against Pakistan will also pose a challenge for Mochizuki to find a balance between meeting the target of winning and maintaining the players' condition until the final match.

"When facing Taiwan, Pakistan did not play poorly. They played strongly. We need to reconsider our player rotation against Pakistan," said Mochizuki.

"The players from Pakistan have good individual skills. They can dribble the ball well and also target the opponent's defense. If we have possession of the ball, we must also be prepared for their counterattacks," he added.

With only one team, namely the group champion, able to qualify for the Asian Cup, both Indonesia and Pakistan arrived with high motivation for the second match. Indonesia needs to secure three points to create an opportunity to overtake Taiwan, which is currently at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, Pakistan is in need of their first victory to open up their chances of qualifying.

On the other hand, Pakistan is determined to perform better after the defeat against Taiwan. Pakistan's coach, Adeel Mirza Rizki, emphasized that his team will learn from the heavy loss in their opening match as preparation for the upcoming game against Indonesia.

Against Taiwan, Adeel said, Pakistan showed they were still looking for their best form. In addition to playing together again after six months, Pakistan also added several new players so they still have to build chemistry in the team.

This year, Pakistan has not been active in any official FIFA tournaments or matches. Their last game was a friendly match against Saudi Arabia, which ended in a 1-1 draw in December 2024. Two months earlier, at the SAFF Championship (South Asian Football Federation), they also drew 1-1 with Bangladesh and lost 5-2 to India.

Indonesia has played three friendly matches this year. It began with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in February, followed by a 1-1 draw with Jordan and a 0-0 draw with Bangladesh in May.

In 2024, "Garuda Pertiwi" is quite active, participating in several friendly matches, including against the Netherlands national team. Shafira Ika and her teammates are also competing in the AFF Cup 2024, a qualifying tournament for the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship.

Nevertheless, Pakistan should also be watched closely as it is home to several players with experience playing abroad. One of them is Layla Banaras, who has Pakistani and British heritage.

Based on data from elitefootball.com, Banaras also holds dual citizenship, British and Pakistani. Unlike Indonesia which seeks out diaspora and naturalizes them as Indonesian citizens to become national team players, Pakistan can attract mixed-blood players without going through that process.

Pakistan recognizes dual citizenship based on the Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951. This Act allows its citizens to hold dual citizenship with certain countries, subject to specific provisions and limitations. As of April 2025, Pakistan enacted the Citizenship Bill (Amendment) 2024, which permits citizens to have dual citizenship with 22 other countries, one of which is the United Kingdom.

Banaras has experience playing with the English women's club, Birmingham City U-21, until the 2023-2024 season. Since the age of 11, Banaras, who was born on February 11, 2006, has been a part of the club's academy.

In addition, there is Aqsa Mushtaq who is currently strengthening the first division club of the Greek Women's League, OFI Crete Women Football Club. This player, who holds citizenship in both England and Pakistan, has experience playing in Italy with Napoli. Furthermore, Mushtaq has played in England (Lewes FC) and the United States (Rochester United, Lenoir-Rhyne Bears).

"What is important is how we react (after the defeat to Taiwan). As a team, we must unite and respond positively as we look forward to the second match," said Pakistan's captain, Maria Khan, who also has experience playing abroad. Currently, she is strengthening the Vietnamese club, Ho Chi Minh City.

Like Pakistan, Indonesia is also home to players of mixed heritage. Iris de Rouw, Emily Nahon, Felicia de Zeeuw, and Isa Warps, who were newly naturalized in mid-June, are also part of the squad. They, with their experience playing in foreign competitions, add to the diaspora players in the national team alongside Noa Leatomu, Estella Loupattij, and Sydney Hopper.

In addition to the diaspora players, only a few Indonesian players have experience playing with clubs in foreign competitions. An alumnus of Liga Kompas Gramedia, Zahra Muzdalifah, for instance, has had a career at the Japanese club, Corezo Osaka, since 2023 until this season. There are also Gea Yumanda and Sheva Imut who have experienced the Philippine League competition with Makati this season.