Pakistan Airlines Football Club, commonly known as PIA F.C., is a Pakistani football club based in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, Sindh, Pakistan. The club was to compete in 2018–19, but withdrew due to financial issues. The club is most successful club in Pakistan, in terms of league titles, winning nine titles with their first league title in 1971, and their last title win was in the season of 1998–99.

History

The club was founded in 1958, to represent

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...

in Inter-Departmental League. Their first championship came in 1971 when they defeated Karachi in the finals, the club successfully defended their title in 1972 when they held off Peshawar White. Their third title came in the first of the two 1975 seasons, defeating provincial side Punjab A. In 1976 they retained their title, holding off a challenge from

Pakistan Railways FC Pakistan Railways FC are a Pakistani football club from Lahore who play in the Pakistan Premier League and play at the Railway Stadium. Nicknamed the Railwaymen, they are one of the oldest football clubs in Pakistan and were created by the railw ...

. Pakistan Airlines were defending champions in 1978, after there being no football 1977 due to

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

, but they continued to dominate Pakistani football and beat Sindh Red to take the championship for a fifth time. They defeated

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

in 1981 to win their sixth title. They had to wait eight years for their next title win, Sindh Government Press were the team beaten in 1989 (II). In the season of 1992–93, they won their eighth title, when they defeated Pakistan Army. In the 1997(II) season, they fought off tough competition from Allied Bank to win their ninth national championship.

Pakistan Premier League era

The club was added into

2007–08 Pakistan Premier League The 2007–08 season is the 53rd season of Pakistan domestic football and the 4th season of the Pakistan Premier League and was held from November 1, 2007, to February 6, 2008, under the auspices of Pakistan Football Federation. Changes Recently, ...

, as the league expanded from 12 to 14 teams. In their first season, the club finished at sixth position. The club competed in

2008 National Football Challenge Cup The 2008 National Football Challenge Cup was the 18th season of National Football Challenge Cup, the main cup tournament in Pakistani football. Pakistan Telecommunication were the defending champions, winning the 2005 edition, although their te ...

but finished third in their group and failed to qualify. In the season of 2008–09, the club dropped two places and finished eighth, although the club performed well in the

2009 National Football Challenge Cup The 2009 National Football Challenge Cup was the 19th edition of National Football Challenge Cup. The tournament was hosted by Hyderabad. The tournament started on 18 April and concluded on 28 April. Pakistan Navy were the defending champions, t ...

, as they finished runners up to

Khan Research Laboratories The Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, ( ur, ) or KRL for short, is a federally funded, multi-program national research institute and national laboratory site primarily dedicated to uranium enrichment, supercomputing and fluid mechanics. It ...

, losing the finals 1–0. In 2011–12 Pakistan Premier League, the club recorded their biggest when they lost 4–0 to

at home. The club finished their highest position in

Pakistan Premier League The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; ur, پاکستان پریمیئر لیگ) is a Pakistani professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Pakistan football league system, it is the country's primary football compe ...

when they finished fourth in the

2014–15 Pakistan Premier League The 2014–15 Pakistan Premier League is the 60th season of Pakistan domestic football and the 11th season of the Pakistan Premier League. The league began on 20 September 2014. Khan Research Laboratories were the defending champions, having won t ...

and were runners-up in

2015 NBP National Challenge Cup 2015 National Football Challenge Cup was the 25th edition of the Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup, the main domestic cup in Pakistani football. The tournament was held in Lahore, commencing from 15 April 2015 and concluding on 28 April 201 ...

, losing again to

. In 2018–19 season, they were eliminated in 2018 National Challenge Cup group stages and withdrew from league due to financial issues, and were relegated.

Performance in AFC competitions

Asian Club Championship The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competitio ...

: two appearances ::

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

: Qualifying Stage ::

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

: Qualifying Stage * Asian Cup Winners Cup: two appearances :: 1992/93: Withdrew in First Round :: 1998/99: Withdrew in First Round

References

External links

PIA site
{{Pakistan International Airlines Football clubs in Pakistan Football in Karachi Pakistan International Airlines 1958 establishments in Pakistan Association football clubs established in 1958 Works association football clubs in Pakistan