Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Spanish ambassador have discussed a pilot football academy in Lahore, run in cooperation with Spain’s professional football league LaLiga, to train coaches and players.
The chief minister met Spanish Ambassador Carlos Aragon Gil Delaserna on Saturday to discuss expanding cooperation in trade, business, sports, culture and environmental protection. She invited Spanish business delegations to visit Sialkot and Lahore and said Punjab would welcome trade and cultural delegations from Spain.
She congratulated the ambassador on Spain’s victory in the Football World Cup.
The academy proposal comes as Pakistan’s men’s team makes its first appearance in a FIFA tournament. Pakistan joined the inaugural as a guest team in Division One, Group B, alongside Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Pakistan lost 4-0 to Thailand in its opening match on September 26. Three days later, Pakistan came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Philippines in Bandung, Indonesia. The result gave Pakistan its first point and first goals in a FIFA tournament. Vietnam then beat Pakistan 4-2.
The two sides reviewed trade opportunities and discussed a Punjab-Spain Business Council to support commercial ties. They also discussed making Lahore and Barcelona sister cities, with cooperation in culture and arts.
The leaders considered a joint working group to tackle forest fires, pollution and heatwaves. Maryam Nawaz said that Punjab wants to learn from Spain’s experience with climate change and smog. She also expressed interest in Barcelona’s urban planning, particularly its work to make roads and public spaces more people-friendly.
The chief minister welcomed Spain’s decision to recognise Palestine.
Separately, Maryam Nawaz has an invitation to Muscat to receive the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award 2026 for the Punjab Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar low-cost housing programme. She will attend the ceremony on World Habitat Day at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
UN-Habitat has presented around 200 such awards over the past 37 years. In Pakistan, the deputy chairman of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority received the award in 2007.
Myanmar, Brazil, Tunisia and London also won the honour this year.
