When Zahmena Malik’s older brother wanted to get in some shooting practice, cones or mini-goals weren’t always enough. Instead of stationary objects, more often than not he roped in his sister, seven years his junior, to act as a goalkeeper.
The goal ratio may have been heavily weighted in favour of the older sibling in those childhood sessions, but these days it’s Zahmena, the youngest of five, who well and truly has the upper hand.
From those kindred kickabouts, the 24-year-old progressed through London’s urban cage football scene and now proudly wears the green of Pakistan women’s team.
It has been, as she tells FIFA, a young life entangled with a sport that has presented unimaginable opportunity.
“Football has given me the chance and the space to be myself. It kind of all started when my brother just threw me in goals, then playing with other kids in the neighbourhood and it’s grown and grown,” she says.
“I feel like the game is a playground to just be me, where although there are rules in the sense of the game there’s no limitations to what you can do as an individual. Ninety minutes or 120 minutes, the chance is limitless. The chance to learn, grow and achieve. Football is where I’m happiest and it’s taught me everything I know today, so I have just really complete love.”
Malik now has a chance to share that love with her team-mates in Côte d’Ivoire over the next week as Pakistan feature in the FIFA Series 2026™. Alongside the hosts, the nation will also tussle with Mauritania and Turks and Caicos Islands in the quadrangular tournament. It’s an opportunity Malik hopes, as she explains from Abidjan, will give a real boost to a women’s programme that has had to overcome a series of obstacles to get to this point.
“Regardless of the challenges that players may face, the team, and especially the locally-based players, still continue to pour everything they have into training and games,” she adds. “Sometimes the environment may be uncomfortable but we want to show that not only can Pakistani women play football and not just get by but that we can do it really well.
“This opportunity to participate in such a prestigious competition is a real honour and we want to show ultimately that we belong on this stage and that we can compete. The more opportunities we get to play as a team, I think we can show that, you know, the sky’s the limit with us.”
Having narrowly failed to qualify for the recently concluded AFC Women’s Asian Cup, it means that Pakistan’s hopes of reaching next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™ are also dashed. As Malik sees it, that is why these competitive matches are vitally important for a nation that, having won their final two qualifiers in Asia, continues to remain upbeat about the direction the programme is moving in.
Watch FIFA Series 2026 action live and free on FIFA+
“It’s really pivotal to have events like the FIFA Series where we now have the opportunity to play against teams maybe at a similar level but also from different continents. That gives us a chance to go into matches with a confidence boost, knowing that it’s not a total long shot.
“We also now have the chance to play regular matches and that in turn builds chemistry and cohesion so we feel like we’re now starting to really get the ball rolling.
“Of course, we know when it comes to the Women’s World Cup that we’re in a really competitive confederation and that we may be underdogs but that doesn’t mean we have to be fearful. Ultimately every player’s dream is to get to a World Cup and that dream should still be alive regardless of where you come from.”
Having grown up in England as the daughter of Pakistani emigrants, Malik was immersed in the culture and language of her ancestral home from a young age. So when the opportunity came to represent Pakistan it was one she jumped at. Now in her third year as part of the senior side, it’s a passion that is undimmed.
“I had this dream from when I was a young child, what I thought was maybe a lofty dream to represent Pakistan. I genuinely didn’t think it would be possible so it was surreal in 2023 when that dream came true,” she says.
“I still have all those shirts from my milestone games, and the one that I wore when I scored my first goal I’m going to frame. I’ve been too scared to wash it in case I damage it but I have them all, it’s in the wardrobe waiting to be framed.
“Alongside that honour and pride though I feel a real sense of responsibility. We are a nation of nearly 250 million people so I can only see it as a huge privilege to be able to kick a ball around while representing one of the most populous nations in the world.”
