diff --git a/package/mplayer/mplayer.mk b/package/mplayer/mplayer.mk
index b2530e4a13..192a42eebc 100644
--- a/package/mplayer/mplayer.mk
+++ b/package/mplayer/mplayer.mk
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ MPLAYER_SITE = http://www.mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/releases
 MPLAYER_CFLAGS = $(TARGET_CFLAGS)
 MPLAYER_LDFLAGS = $(TARGET_LDFLAGS)
 
+MPLAYER_DEPENDENCIES += host-pkgconf
+
 # mplayer needs pcm+mixer support, but configure fails to check for it
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_ALSA_LIB)$(BR2_PACKAGE_ALSA_LIB_MIXER)$(BR2_PACKAGE_ALSA_LIB_PCM),yyy)
 MPLAYER_DEPENDENCIES += alsa-lib