The Pakistan national football team played its first game in 1950. The team formed in 1947 after Pakistan gained independence from Great Britain. Pakistan affiliated to FIFA in 1948 and helped form the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.
Due to political struggles within the Pakistan Football Federation, the team has spent some time suspended from FIFA. Since the millennium, new management of the federation has seen an improvement in Pakistani football. The federation introduced a domestic league and began stadium building in the 2000’s. Despite this progress, cricket remains the dominant sport in the country.
Pakistan entered their first world cup in the 1990 competition. The qualifying campaign was poor and saw no wins recorded. The 1994 tournament was no improvement. The team did not qualify and suffered a record 8-0 loss to Iraq. 1998 saw another campaign pass without a victory.