PFF National Challenge Cup
Organising bodyPakistan Football Federation
Founded1979; 45 years ago (1979)
RegionPakistan
Number of teams27 (2023)
Related competitionsPakistan Premier League
PFF League B Division
Current championsWAPDA (1st title)
Most successful club(s)Khan Research Laboratories (6 titles)
2023 PFF National Challenge Cup

The PFF National Challenge Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Pakistani football within the Pakistan football league system. It is organized by and named after the Pakistan Football Federation. Initially named as Inter Departmental Championship, it was introduced in 1979 as a football tournament for departmental selections and armed forces teams excluded from the national football league of Pakistan.[1]

Khan Research Laboratories have won the most titles (six). WAPDA are the current champions, winning the 2020 edition courtesy of a 1-0 win against SSGC F.C. in the final.[2]

Background

Introduced in 1979 to offer nationwide competition to departmental selections and armed forces teams excluded from the national football league then called the National Football Championship, the event was named as Inter Departmental Championship. However, due to internal conflicts within the PFF, the second edition occurred only in 1984 and was rebranded as the Inter Provincial Championship.[1] Although the four provincial teams were allowed to participate, they were not factored into the final ranking in both the 1984 and 1985 tournaments. Only since 1990 has the tournament been held regularly, albeit undergoing frequent name changes.[1]

Although it is an annual competition, it has not been held on a few occasions. The competition was not held from (1980–83, 1986, 1988–89, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006–07, 2017, 2021–22).[1]

Names

Seasons Name[1]
1979 Inter-Departmental Championship
1984–1985 Inter Provincial Championship
1987 President-PFF Cup
1990–1991 National Departmental Championship
1992–1994 Pakistan Inter-Departmental Championship
1996–2003 PFF President's Cup
2005–2015;
2018		 National Challenge Cup
2016 PFF Cup
2019–present PFF National Challenge Cup

Finals

No. Year Champion Score Runner-up Venue
1 1979 Sindh Government Press Muslim Commercial Bank
2 1984 Pakistan Airlines WAPDA F.C.
3 1985 Habib Bank Limited National Bank
4 1987 Crescent Textiles Mill Karachi Port Trust
5 1990 Karachi Port Trust Habib Bank
6 1991 Markers Club Karachi Port Trust
7 1992 Crescent Textiles Mill Markers Club
8 1993 National Bank Pakistan Steel
9 1994 General Fans Pakistan Airforce
10 1996 Allied Bank Limited 3–1[3] Pakistan Army
11 1998 Allied Bank Limited Karachi Port Trust
12 1999 Allied Bank Limited Khan Research Laboratories
13 2000 Pakistan Army Allied Bank Limited
14 2001 Pakistan Army Khan Research Laboratories
15 2002 Allied Bank Limited WAPDA F.C.
16 2003 PTCL Karachi Port Trust
17 2005 PTCL 2–1 WAPDA F.C. Army Sports Complex, Rawalpindi
18 2008 Pakistan Navy 3–1 Khan Research Laboratories People's Football Stadium, Karachi
19 2009 Khan Research Laboratories 1–0 Pakistan Airlines Hyderabad
20 2010 Khan Research Laboratories 4–0 Pakistan Navy Qilla Kuhna Qasim Bagh, Multan
21 2011 Khan Research Laboratories 1–0 K-Electric Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad
22 2012 Khan Research Laboratories 0–0 (a.e.t., 3–1 pen) K-Electric KPT Stadium, Karachi
23 2013 National Bank 1–0 K-Electric Dring Stadium, Bahawalpur
24 2014 Pakistan Air Force 3–1 (a.e.t) K-Electric KPT Stadium, Karachi
25 2015 Khan Research Laboratories 3–0 Pakistan Airlines Railway Stadium, Lahore
26 2016 Khan Research Laboratories 1–0 National Bank Punjab Stadium, Lahore
27 2018 Pakistan Air Force 2–1 WAPDA F.C. KPT Stadium, Karachi
28 2019 Pakistan Army 3–2 SSGC F.C. Tehmas Khan Football Stadium, Peshawar
29 2020 WAPDA F.C. 1–0 SSGC F.C. Punjab Stadium, Lahore
Wins by club
Club Wins Winning years
Khan Research Laboratories 6 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
Allied Bank Limited 4 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002
Pakistan Army 3 2000, 2001, 2019
Crescent Textiles Mill 2 1987, 1992
National Bank 1993, 2013
Pakistan Airforce 2014, 2018
PTCL 2003, 2005
General Fans 1 1994
Habib Bank 1985
Karachi Port Trust 1987
Marker Club 1991
Pakistan Navy 2008
Pakistan Airlines 1984
Sindh Government Press 1979
WAPDA F.C. 2020

Results by team

Since its establishment, the National Challenge Cup has been won by 15 different teams. Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence.[1]

Results by team
Club Wins First final won Last final won Runners-up Last final lost Total final appearances
Khan Research Laboratories 6 2009 2016 3 2008 10
Allied Bank Limited 4 1996 2002 1 2000 5
Pakistan Army 3 2000 2019 1 1996 4
National Bank 2 1993 2013 2 2016 4
Pakistan Air Force 2 2014 2018 1 2010 3
Crescent Textiles Mill 2 1987 1992 0 – 2
PTCL 2 2003 2005 0 – 2
Karachi Port Trust 1 1987 1987 3 2003 4
Habib Bank 1 1985 1985 1 1990 2
Marker Club 1 1991 1991 1 1992 2
Pakistan Airlines 1 1984 1984 1 2015 3
Pakistan Navy 1 2008 2008 1 2010 2
General Fans 1 1994 1994 0 – 1
Sindh Government Press 1 1979 1979 0 – 1
WAPDA F.C. 1 2020 2020 4 2018 5
K-Electric
 		0 – – 4 2014 4
Muslim Commercial Bank 0 – – 1 1979 1
Pakistan Steel 0 – – 1 1993 1
Sui Southern Gas 0 – – 2 2020 2

Giant killings

The possibility of unlikely victories in the earlier rounds of the competition, where lower ranked teams beat higher placed opposition in what is known as a "giant killing", is much anticipated by the public. Such upsets are considered an integral part of the tradition and prestige of the competition, and the attention gained by giant-killing teams can be as great as that for winners of the cup.

In 2009, non-league side Sindh Government Press defeated top-flight National Bank 3–2 in group stages.[4] In 2011, second-division club Ashraf Sugar Mills defeated Pakistan Premier League winners WAPDA F.C. 1–0,[5][6] and they repeated the feat again in the group stages, defeating National Bank from Pakistan Premier League 2–0,[7] as they finished top of the group.[8] In 2012, second-division side Pakistan Public Work Department defeated Pakistan Air Force 2–0 in group stages.[9] In 2013, Pak Afghan Clearing defeated league winners and defending champions Khan Research Laboratories 2–1.[10]

Records and statistics

Final

Team

Individual

All rounds

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Naveed, Malik Riaz Hai; Wahidi, Syed Akber Ali (14 February 2019). "Pakistan - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. ^ "WAPDA win National Challenge Cup 2020". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  3. ^ Wahidi, Syed Akber Ali. "Pakistan 1996". RSSSF. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  4. ^ "Pakistan 2008/09". RSSSF. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  5. ^ "NFCC 2011: Day 3 Results". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  6. ^ "NBP down Navy 2-1". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  7. ^ "Ashraf Sugar Mills upset NBP, enter last 8 of 2011 NFCC". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  8. ^ "Pakistan 2010/11". RSSSF. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  9. ^ "WAPDA down impressive Pakistan U16s in Challenge Cup". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  10. ^ "PACA stun KRL to reach NFCC quarters". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  11. ^ Naveed, Malik Riaz Hai (17 August 2006). "Pakistan 2005 (National Tournaments)". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
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