
ISLAMABAD: Players of POPO FC attend a training session on Dec 6, 2025.—Mohammad Asim/White Star ISLAMABAD: At the F-11 Multipurpose Ground the day’s rhythm is set not by a whistle, but by the soft thud of a football. Here, in the heart of the capital, an unassuming patch of grass has become the most fertile ground for Pakistani football. This is the home of POPO Football Club — not a corporate academy, but a volunteer-run sanctuary that has, against the odds, become a national talent pipeline. Two years ago, the nation celebrated a historic 1-0 victory against Cambodia in the World Cup Qualifiers, Pakistan’s maiden win on the global stage. What it didn’t see was the quiet genesis of that triumph. Five of the players on that pitch were products of this single, modest club in Sector F-11. Their work is not only limited to the senior team but the efforts on the players start from the grassroots level. In the last 24 months alone, POPO FC — who works under the patronage of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) — ha...