Pakistan look to stop losing run against Asian Cup finalists Jordan

Pakistan have always ended up on the losing side against Jordan and while coach Stephen Constantine said his team will play for a win, he warned against high expectations from his charges.

The second round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been a baptism of fire for Constantine’s men; bringing them back to earth after their historic victory against Cambodia in the first round.

Constantine has repeatedly stated that Pakistan’s first appearance in the second round of World Cup qualifying is merely a chance for his players to rub shoulders against Asia’s elite footballing nations. Ahead of Thursday’s Group ‘G’ clash against Jordan, he was reiterating the same.

“We will try our best to win against a very difficult team,” Constantine, whose team have lost 4-0 to Saudi Arabia and 61 to Tajikistan in their opening two matches, told reporters at the Jinnah Stadium on Wednesday, before reminding once again what he hopes to achieve in the second round.

“We are trying to build a new team, a new philosophy,” he said. “My focus is to get Pakistan to the AFC Asian Cup.” While the top two finishers in the group advance to the third round of qualifying for the World Cup, the bottom two teams will go into the third round of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup. “If we continue to play matches against the top teams in Asia and through constant training camps and good coaching, we can qualify for the Asian Cup,” said Constantine. ”It will not happen overnight and we will need continuous hard work to achieve that.”

The 61-year-old stated he was trying to replicate in Pakistan what he did in the past with India. “In four years, I was able to help India qualify for the Asian Cup and we can do the same here,” he added.