| PFF National Challenge Cup | |
| Year: | 2023–2024 |
| Other Titles: | National Challenge Cup |
| Country: | Pakistan |
| Dates: | 24 January 2023 – 12 May 2024 |
| Num Teams: | 27 |
| Defending Champions: | WAPDA |
| Champions: | WAPDA |
| Runner-Up: | SA Gardens |
| Third: | Pakistan Army |
| Fourth: | Higher Education Commission |
| Top Goal Scorer: | Shayak Dost (8 goals) |
| Player: | Mohammad Umar Hayat |
| Prevseason: | 2020 |
| Updated: | 12 May 2024 |
| Goalkeeper: | Salman ul Haq |
The 2023–2024 PFF National Challenge Cup was the 30th edition of domestic cup competition in Pakistan. 27 departmental teams participated in the competition, from 24 January 2023 until 12 May 2024. The cup featured 27 departmental teams across the country vying for the title, which was defended by 2020 champions WAPDA.
Initially scheduled to be held throughout 2023, the second phase was held in May 2024 after almost 15 months of inactivity.[1]
The tournament took place after a gap of nearly three-and-a-half years because of the Pakistan Football Federation's suspension by FIFA due to a power struggle within the Pakistan Football Federation. FIFA lifted the ban imposed on PFF after the legitimate Normalization Committee body was restored.[2]
The tournament was announced briefly after departmental sports in Pakistan were restored in August 2022 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Many of the departmental clubs were disbanded following the shutdown of departmental sports in Pakistan in September 2021.[3] [4] Departmental teams were then restricted to the PFF National Challenge Cup, following their controversial participation in the Pakistani domestic league setup in the previous years.[5] [6] A PFF official stated that from now on, there will be separate competitions for departments and clubs. When a domestic league is held, it will be solely for clubs.
The PFF Constitution stated that all departmental players need to be “affiliated with a club”, with some teams taking advantage of it such as POPO FC, which had their team playing the Challenge Cup under the department with the name of Mamsons Builders. Lyallpur FC competed under the name of Otto Cranes.
In the first phase, teams, bracketed in seven groups, competed on home and away basis. The leading two teams from each group and the two best third-placed sides progressed to the round of 16. The first phase was held at Karachi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Chaman, Rawalpindi and Islamabad simultaneously.
The second phase was set to be conducted from May 1 to 12 in 2023 at a centre yet to be decided. It was postponed to kick off on the 21st of October until 6 November 2023.[7] After an uncertain inactivity almost 15 months after it began, the National Challenge Cup knockout stage was finally announced to reach its end in Lahore from May 1 to 12 in 2024. The venue was ultimately shifted to Islamabad, with Jinnah Stadium hosting the semifinals and final, and the group stage and the rest of knockout round at local nearby grounds.[8]
The 27 teams participating in the tournament are as below:
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| Award | Recipient | Club | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Shayak Dost | WAPDA | |
| Most Valuable Player | Mohammad Umar Hayat | WAPDA | |
| Best Goalkeeper | Salman ul Haq | SA Gardens | |
| Best Referee | Irshad ul Haq | - | |
| Best Assistant Referee | Muhammad Ali | - | |
| Fair play | - | Higher Education Commission |