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Afghanistan national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the men’s team. For the women's team, see Afghanistan women's national football team.

Afghanistan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Lions of Khurasan
AssociationAfghanistan Football Federation
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationCAFA (Central Asia)
Head coachUsmon Toshev (2024–)
CaptainSharif Mukhammad
Most capsZohib Islam Amiri (71)
Top scorerFaysal Shayesteh (10)
Home stadiumGhazi Stadium
FIFA codeAFG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 160 Decrease 4 (3 April 2025)[1]
Highest122 (April 2014)
Lowest204 (January 2003)
First international
 Afghanistan 0–0 Iran 
(Kabul, Afghanistan; 25 August 1941)
Biggest win
 Bhutan 1–8 Afghanistan 
(New Delhi, India; 7 December 2011)
Biggest defeat
 Turkmenistan 11–0 Afghanistan 
(Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; 19 November 2003)
CAFA Nations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2023)
Best resultGroup stage (2023)
SAFF Championship
Appearances7 (first in 2003)
Best resultChampions (2013)
Medal record
Men's football
SAFF Championship
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nepal Team
Silver medal – second place 2011 India Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 India Team

The Afghanistan national football team represents Afghanistan in men's international football and is controlled by the Afghanistan Football Federation.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]
Afghanistan national football team in the 1920s

The Afghanistan Football Federation was established in 1922 and joined FIFA in 1948. It was also one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954.[3]

Afghanistan played its first official international match under FIFA at the 1948 Summer Olympics, where it faced Luxembourg on 26 July and lost 6–0. Before 2002, the last recorded international appearance for the team was in the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification, where they lost 6–1 to Jordan on 20 September. The team did not participate in international football between 1984 and 2002 due to political instability, including the Soviet invasion, civil war, and Taliban rule, which banned recreational activities such as football.[4]

2001–2010

[edit]

Following the demise of the Taliban regime, the Afghan national team eventually returned to the international arena in 2002, when they played South Korea in the Asian Games, losing 2–0. Afghanistan participated in their first international tournament in the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup, where they lost all three group stage matches to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Later in the same year, Afghanistan took part in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification where they won against Kyrgyzstan but lost to Nepal and failed to make it to the next round.

Afghanistan started its FIFA World Cup campaign for the first time in 2003 where they played Turkmenistan in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. They lost both matches in aggregate of 13–0. This was the first time Afghanistan participated in FIFA World Cup qualification though they had been affiliated since 1948. The team went to Pakistan to take part in the 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup, which they lost to the Maldives.[5]

Match scene between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in a FIFA World Cup qualification match in Kabul, 2003

They also participated in the first edition of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2006, for which they drew both matches with Chinese Taipei and the Philippines with Afghan footballers Hafizullah Qadami and Sayed Maqsood Hashemi both scoring to produce a drawn result, and on their second world cup campaign in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification were eliminated by Syria.

In the SAFF Championship 2008 Afghanistan lost to Bhutan but drew with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Afghanistan entered the second round of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008,[6] by winning in group D of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualification, drawing with Bangladesh and winning against Kyrgyzstan. In the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, Afghanistan lost all group matches to India, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In 2009 SAFF Championship Afghanistan lost all its matches to Maldives, India and Nepal. Hashmatullah Barakzai scored Afghanistan's only goal against Maldives in that loss.[7]

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit]

Afghanistan entered their third World Cup qualification campaign and faced Palestine in the preliminary round. The first leg was played in Tajikistan due to security concerns and ended in defeat. The second leg in Palestine ended in a 1–1 draw, with Balal Arezou scoring for Afghanistan, resulting in their elimination.

2011 SAFF Championship

[edit]
Players are celebrating after winning their 2011 SAFF Championship Semi-final against Nepal

In the 2011 SAFF Championship, Afghanistan achieved a dominant 8–1 victory over Bhutan, marking their second-biggest win in history. Balal Arezou scored four goals in that match. Afghanistan advanced to the semi-finals for the first time, defeating Nepal 1–0 after extra time, with Arzou scoring in the 101st minute. In the final, they lost 4–0 to India.

2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification

[edit]

Afghanistan progressed from the first round of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification by defeating Bhutan over two legs. In the second round, they were eliminated after losses to Nepal and North Korea, despite a win over Sri Lanka.

Afghan Premier League

[edit]

Players for the league were found through a reality television show called Maidan e Sabz ("Green Field").[8] The concept came from the Afghanistan Football Federation and the Afghanistan-based MOBY Group, which owns a number of TV channels and radio stations and is the largest media group in the country. MOBY Group channels will broadcast matches. Players were voted onto teams by a jury and by the television audience. Eight teams of 18 players, one from every region, were formed.[9]

The Afghan High Peace Council has praised the creation and development of the League as an, "opportunity to bring peace and stability" to Afghanistan.[10]

2013 SAFF Championship winners

[edit]
See also: 2013 SAFF Championship Final
2013 SAFF Championship Final starting lineup on 11 September 2013, in Dasarath Stadium (Kathmandu, Nepal).
Hamidullah Karimi with the SAFF Championship trophy after their win against India

On 20 August 2013 before the 2013 SAFF Championship Afghanistan played Pakistan in a FIFA approved friendly for the first time in 36 years. This was also the first time on home ground after a decade which ended with a 3–0 victory over Pakistan with goals from Sandjar Ahmadi, Ahmad Hatifi and Maruf Mohammadi.[11]

Afghanistan entered the 2013 SAFF Championship as the highest ranked team by FIFA in the tournament placed at 139th. Afghanistan started the campaign with a 3-goal victory over Bhutan, with goals from Amiri also known as Afghanistan's best ever player, Azadzoy and Barakzai. The second match again ended with a 3–1 victory over Sri Lanka with goals from Rafi, Amiri and Barakzai. The Semi-final of the tournament was the repeat of last year's edition with Afghanistan again defeating Nepal with a solitary goal of Sandjar Ahmadi, that took Afghanistan in to the final of the tournament against India once again. Mansur Faqiryar of Afghanistan showed an outstanding goalkeeping performance by saving two back to back penalty kicks from Nepal in the last minutes of the match. The Final match of the tournament saw the 2011 SAFF Championship finalists again at Dashrath Stadium Nepal, where Afghanistan outplayed the defending champions India by 2 goals.[12] Afghanistan showed an outstanding performance. Goals from Azadzoy and Sandjar Ahmadi in each half of the game put the Afghan football team in front, to claim their first SAFF Championship title in their history.[13] Mansur Faqiryar was named the best player of the tournament, for his outstanding goal keeping skills throughout the tournament.

2014 AFC Challenge Cup

[edit]

Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup but lost 2–0 to eventual champions Palestine. In the third-place match, they drew 1–1 with the Maldives and lost 8–7 in a penalty shootout. On 10 June 2014, the Afghanistan Football Federation moved from the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) to the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). Later that year, the federation received the FIFA Fair Play Award at the 2014 Ballon d'Or Gala for its efforts to promote football under difficult circumstances.

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit]
Afghan national team before the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Japan, Azadi Stadium

On 9 February 2015, Slaven Skeledžić was appointed as head coach. The team started the qualifiers with a 6–0 loss to Syria but earned its first-ever World Cup qualification victory against Cambodia. After a poor run of results, Skeledžić resigned in October 2015. Peter Segrt took over in November and led the team to another win over Cambodia, 3–0.[14] On 27 April 2015 the AFF signed a contract with a new sponsor called Alokozay Group of Companies.[15][16]

2015 SAFF Championship

[edit]
See also: 2015 SAFF Championship Final

This tournament marked Afghanistan’s final appearance in the SAFF Championship before moving to CAFA. The team won all its group stage matches—beating Bangladesh 4–0, Bhutan 3–0, and Maldives 4–1. In the semi-final, they defeated Sri Lanka 5–0. The final was a rematch with India, which Afghanistan lost 2–1 after extra time.

2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification

[edit]
Afghan supporters watching their national team play against Japan during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification in Azadi Stadium, Tehran.

Following the SAFF Championship, Afghanistan had a chance to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup through expanded qualifiers. After a second heavy loss to Japan (5–0), they needed a win over Singapore, which they secured 2–1. The team then played friendlies against Lebanon (lost 2–0) and Malaysia (1–1 draw). In February 2017, Otto Pfister was appointed as head coach. Afghanistan drew 1–1 with Vietnam in the qualifiers, but losses to Cambodia and Jordan ended their qualification hopes. In July 2018, the federation announced a friendly match against Palestine in Kabul—their first home game since 2013.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Team image

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Home stadium

[edit]
Further information: Ghazi Stadium
The Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, which is now referred to as the Afghan Football Federation Stadium

Afghanistan's home stadium is Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, a historical venue that has witnessed numerous key moments in Afghan football. The stadium has a capacity of around 30,000 spectators. It has been the home for many of the national team’s matches, despite the challenges posed by security concerns in recent years.

The stadium has a rich history, having been used for both football matches and, sadly, during darker periods, public executions. Nevertheless, it remains a symbol of national pride and resilience. Due to security concerns, Afghanistan has often played home games in neutral countries like Qatar, India, and UAE in recent years.[24][25]

Kits

[edit]

[26][27][28] In December 2018, Hummel announced that it will no longer sponsor Afghanistan's football association after allegations emerged of physical, psychological and sexual abuse committed by male employees against the country's women's national team's players.[29]

Kit suppliers

[edit]
Kit provider Period
Adidas 2005–2008
Hummel 2009–2020
JAKO 2020–2023
SIX5SIX 2024–present

Flag

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The Afghanistan national team still uses the old tricolor flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (the internationally recognized flag of Afghanistan) instead of the white flag of the Taliban government, despite the group's takeover of the country in 2021.[30]

Rivalries

[edit]
Further information: Afghanistan–Pakistan football rivalry

Afghanistan is currently rivals with Pakistan in many sports, including cricket and football. The national teams of Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly held sporting events in early years, but diplomatic ties were cut after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The ensuing civil war and political instability in Afghanistan prevented the two sides from meeting again until 2003.[31] Due to the historical, cultural and political relationship between the two countries, contests against Pakistan generate much enthusiasm amongst Afghan football fans on account of their mutual relations and have been referred to as a "rivalry",[31][32][33] although the interest in Pakistan toward the rivalry and for football in general is more muted.[34]

Results and fixtures

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Main article: Afghanistan national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
6 June 2024 (2024-6-6) 2026 World Cup qualifiers Afghanistan  0–0  Qatar Hofuf, Saudi Arabia[note 1]
19:00 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sport City
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)
11 June 2024 (2024-6-11) 2026 World Cup qualification Kuwait  1–0  Afghanistan Kuwait City, Kuwait
18:45 UTC+3 Al Rashidi 81' Report Stadium: Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
16 November 2024 (2024-11-16) Friendly Nepal    2–0  Afghanistan Dushanbe, Tajikistan
18:00 UTC+5
Report Stadium: Pamir Stadium
19 November 2024 (2024-11-19) Friendly Tajikistan  3–1  Afghanistan Dushanbe, Tajikistan
18:00 UTC+5
Report
Stadium: Pamir Stadium

2025

[edit]
21 March 2025 (2025-3-21) Friendly Thailand  2–0  Afghanistan Bangkok, Thailand
20:00 UTC+7 Patrik Gustavsson 6', 52' Stadium: Rajamangala Stadium
25 March 2025 (2025-3-25) 2027 Asian Cup qualification Myanmar  2–1  Afghanistan Yangon, Myanmar
--:-- UTC+6:30 Than Paing 28', Maung Maung Lwin 75' Omid Popalzay 14' Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium
10 June 2025 (2025-6-10) 2027 Asian Cup qualification Afghanistan  v  Syria TBD[note 1]
--:--  Stadium: TBD
9 October 2025 (2025-10-9) 2027 Asian Cup qualification Pakistan  v  Afghanistan Islamabad, Pakistan
--:-- UTC+5 Stadium: Jinnah Sports Stadium
14 October 2025 (2025-10-14) 2027 Asian Cup qualification Afghanistan  v  Pakistan TBD[note 1]
--:--  Stadium: TBD
18 November 2025 (2025-11-18) 2027 Asian Cup qualification Afghanistan  v  Myanmar TBD[note 1]
--:--  Stadium: TBD

2026

[edit]
31 March 2026 (2026-3-31) 2027 Asian Cup qualification Syria  v  Afghanistan TBD
--:--  Stadium: TBD

Coaching staff

[edit]

Current coaching staff

[edit]
Role Name
Head coach Uzbekistan Usmon Toshev
Assistant coach Uzbekistan Umidjon Khatamov
Goalkeeping coach Afghanistan Hamidullah Yosufzai
Equipment manager Afghanistan Mahdi Shirzad
National Team manager Afghanistan Samir Homauni
Media Afghanistan Mustafa Hashimi

Manager history

[edit]
As of 26 March 2025
Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

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Current squad

[edit]

The following 23 players were named in the squad for the friendly matches against    Nepal and  Tajikistan between 16 and 19 November 2024.[38]

  • Caps and goals are correct as of 11 June 2024 after the match against  Kuwait.[39]
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Ovays Azizi (1992-01-29) 29 January 1992 (age 33) 44 0 Sweden Ariana
1GK Faisal Hamidi (1997-03-16) 16 March 1997 (age 28) 10 0 Afghanistan Attack Energy
1GK Keyvan Mottaghian (2002-11-16) 16 November 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Cyprus APOP Polis
2DF Zohib Islam Amiri (1990-02-15) 15 February 1990 (age 35) 69 6 Canada Blainville
2DF Sharif Mukhammad (1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 35) 31 3 Afghanistan Abu Muslim
2DF Mahboob Hanifi (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 28) 12 0 Afghanistan Attack Energy
2DF Habibulla Askar (1999-08-09) 9 August 1999 (age 25) 5 0 North Macedonia Voska Sport
2DF Mohammad Naeem Rahimi (1994-04-04) 4 April 1994 (age 31) 4 0 Australia Kingston City
2DF Siar Sadat (2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 21) 3 0 Canada Blainville
2DF Yahyie Shirzai (2005-05-22) 22 May 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Denmark Ishøj
3MF Zelfy Nazary (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 30) 17 1 Australia St Albans Saints
3MF Taufee Skandari (1999-04-02) 2 April 1999 (age 26) 11 0 Hong Kong Lee Man
3MF Maziar Kouhyar (1997-09-30) 30 September 1997 (age 27) 10 0 England Kidderminster Harriers
3MF Mosawer Ahadi (2000-03-08) 8 March 2000 (age 25) 9 0 Malta Balzan
3MF Rahmat Akbari (2000-06-22) 22 June 2000 (age 24) 7 1 Australia Gold Coast Knights
3MF Jamshed Asekzai (1997-10-09) 9 October 1997 (age 27) 6 0 Sweden Lunds
3MF Yama Sherzad (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24) 3 0 Switzerland Prishtina Bern
3MF Hakim Niazi (2006-08-14) 14 August 2006 (age 18) 1 0 Afghanistan Attack Energy
3MF Said Aref (2003-08-04) 4 August 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Russia Zenit Penza
4FW Balal Arezou (1988-12-28) 28 December 1988 (age 36) 28 9 Norway Grane Arendal
4FW Omid Musawi (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24) 11 0 Malaysia Selangor
4FW Hossein Zamani (2002-11-23) 23 November 2002 (age 22) 4 1 Italy Gioiese
4FW Moshtaq Ahmadi (1996-04-21) 21 April 1996 (age 28) 2 0 Free agent

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Golali Rahimi (1996-06-30) 30 June 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Afghanistan Abu Muslim v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
GK Faisal Saeed Khil (2005-02-19) 19 February 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Afghanistan Sarrafan v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
DF Najim Haidary (1999-12-22) 22 December 1999 (age 25) 12 0 Netherlands VV Capelle v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
DF Amid Arezou (1996-02-17) 17 February 1996 (age 29) 1 0 Norway Vindbjart v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
MF Omid Popalzay (1996-01-25) 25 January 1996 (age 29) 42 6 Indonesia PSPS Pekanbaru v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Jabar Sharza (1994-04-06) 6 April 1994 (age 31) 17 4 Sweden Ariana v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Fareed Sadat (1998-11-20) 20 November 1998 (age 26) 9 0 Indonesia Persikabo v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Sayeed Reza Hussaini (1988-01-01) 1 January 1988 (age 37) 1 0 Australia Para Hills Knights v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Sayed Fatemi (1999-01-08) 8 January 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Australia Preston Lions v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE = Preliminary squad
  • RET = Retired from the national team
  • SUS = Serving suspension
  • WD = Withdrew due to non-injury related reasons

Individual records

[edit]
As of 25 March 2025[40]
Players in bold are still active with Afghanistan.

Most appearances

[edit]
Zohib Islam Amiri is Afghanistan's most capped player with 71 appearances.
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Zohib Islam Amiri 71 6 2005–2024
2 Faysal Shayesteh 59 10 2014–present
3 Ovays Azizi 48 0 2015–present
4 Omid Popalzay 43 6 2015–present
5 Abassin Alikhil 41 0 2011–2022
6 Mustafa Hadid 39 2 2008–2021
7 Djelaludin Sharityar 38 1 2007–2015
8 Mustafa Azadzoy 37 3 2013–present
9 Ahmad Hatifi 34 4 2011–2016
10 Zubayr Amiri 33 5 2011–2022
Sharif Mukhammad 33 3 2015–present
Farshad Noor 33 4 2017–present

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Faysal Shayesteh is Afghanistan's top scorer with 10 goals.
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Faysal Shayesteh 10 59 0.17 2014–present
2 Balal Arezou 9 29 0.31 2011–present
3 Khaibar Amani 7 21 0.33 2015–2019
Omid Popalzay 7 43 0.14 2015–present
5 Zohib Islam Amiri 6 71 0.08 2005–2024
Sandjar Ahmadi 6 22 0.27 2011–2015
7 Hashmatullah Barakzai 5 28 0.18 2007–2014
Zubayr Amiri 5 33 0.15 2011–2022
9 Jabar Sharza 4 17 0.24 2017–present
Amredin Sharifi 4 29 0.14 2013–present
Noraollah Amiri 4 31 0.13 2015–2021
Farshad Noor 4 33 0.12 2017–present
Ahmad Hatifi 4 34 0.12 2011–2016

Competitive record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a member of FIFA Not a member of FIFA
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Did not enter Did not enter
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994
France 1998
South Korea Japan 2002
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 13
South Africa 2010 2 0 0 2 1 5
Brazil 2014 2 0 1 1 1 3
Russia 2018 8 3 0 5 8 24
Qatar 2022 8 1 3 4 5 15
Canada Mexico United States 2026 8 3 2 3 5 14
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total — 0/23 — — — — — — — 30 7 6 17 20 74

AFC Asian Cup

[edit]
AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Withdrew Withdrew
South Korea 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Israel 1964 Withdrew Withdrew
Iran 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976 Did not qualify 6 0 1 5 3 18
Kuwait 1980 4 0 1 3 4 11
Singapore 1984 4 0 1 3 1 20
Qatar 1988 Did not enter Did not enter
Japan 1992
United Arab Emirates 1996
Lebanon 2000
China 2004 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 5
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2011
Australia 2015 Did not qualify AFC Challenge Cup
United Arab Emirates 2019 14 4 3 7 15 34
Qatar 2023 11 1 4 6 9 21
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total — 0/18 — — — — — — — 41 6 10 25 34 109

Summer Olympics

[edit]
Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
United Kingdom 1908 Did not enter Did not enter
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924
Netherlands 1928
Germany 1936 Did not enter Did not enter
United Kingdom 1948 Qualified Qualified
Finland 1952 Did not enter Did not enter
Australia 1956 Withdrew Withdrew
Italy 1960
Japan 1964 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1968
Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992 to present See Afghanistan national under-23 football team See Afghanistan national under-23 football team
Total — 1/17 — — — — — — — — — — — — —

CAFA Nations Cup

[edit]
CAFA Nations Cup record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan 2023 Group stage 2 0 0 2 1 9
Total 1/1 2 0 0 2 1 9

SAFF Championship (2003–2015)

[edit]
SAFF Championship record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Pakistan 1993 Not a part of SAFF
Sri Lanka 1995
Nepal 1997
India 1999
Bangladesh 2003 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 0 6
Pakistan 2005 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 11
Maldives Sri Lanka 2008 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 5 7
Bangladesh 2009 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 7
India 2011 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 13 7
Nepal 2013 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 1
India 2015 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 0 1 17 3
2018 – onwards Not a part of SAFF
Total 1 Title 7/11 27 12 4 11 48 42

Afghanistan were members of the South Asian Football Federation between 2005 and 2015. As a result, they did not enter the competition between 1993 and 1999 and have not entered it since 2015.

Asian Games

[edit]
Asian Games record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
India 1951 Fourth place 2 0 0 2 0 5
Philippines 1954 Group stage 2 0 0 2 4 12
Japan 1958 to Thailand 1998 Did not enter
South Korea 2002 to present See Afghanistan national under-23 football team
Total 2/13 4 0 0 4 4 17

AFC Challenge Cup (2006–2014)

[edit]
AFC Challenge Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 Group stage 3 0 2 1 3 5 — Qualified automatically
India 2008 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 10 1st 2 1 1 0 1 0
Sri Lanka 2010 Withdrew Withdrew
Nepal 2012 Did not qualify 3rd 5 3 0 2 6 3
Maldives 2014 Fourth place 5 1 3 1 4 4 1st 3 2 1 0 3 1
Total 3/5 11 1 5 5 7 19 — 10 6 2 2 10 4

Honours

[edit]

Regional

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Afghanistan will play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Afghan conflict.
  2. ^ From 1988 to 2003, Afghanistan didn't play any matches due to security concerns within the country.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  3. ^ "History of Afghanistan national football team". Afghan-web.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Afghan Football Veterans, Experts Reflect on Sports' Growth". Tolo News. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  5. ^ "South Asian Gold Cup 2005 (Karachi, Pakistan)". Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Afghanistan at AFC Challenge Cup 2008 at AFC Website". Archived from the original on 13 February 2013.
  7. ^ "South Asian Gold Cup 2009 (Dhaka)". Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  8. ^ Roshan Afghan Premier League a hit with fans Archived 28 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine by Tahir Qadiry (BBC News, 22 September 2012)
  9. ^ "Talent search at Hindukush" (in German). fussball.de. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  10. ^ Afghan Football League Heads to First Semi-Final Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine by Rezwan Natiq and Mir Sayed (Tolo News, 10 October 2012)
  11. ^ Amiri: Football brings Afghans together by FIFA (FIFA, 22 August 2013)
  12. ^ "Faqiryar: A real football fairytale". fifa.com. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Ahmadi reaping rewards for bravery". fifa.com. 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Skeledzic: Afghan job my greatest challenge". fifa.com. 25 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  15. ^ "AFF Signs MoU with Alakozai Group of Companies". Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  16. ^ "India to host 2015 SAFF Cup". Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Otto Pfister, New Mentor For Afghanistan National Football Team". 12 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Lions draw positives from defeat". TNP. 24 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  19. ^ "AFC Asian Cup match: AFG-VIE". AFC. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Afghanistan edge Cambodia". AFC. 27 March 2018. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Afghanistan Football Federation introduces new head coach". AFF. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  22. ^ "NEC-trainer Dastgir nieuwe bondscoach van Afghanistan". Gelderlander (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Kabul To Host Afghanistan-Palestine Friendly Football Match". ToloNews.
  24. ^ War and Football: The Story of Football’s Development in War-Torn Afghanistan Archived 15 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine by Huffingtonpost (13 February 2013)
  25. ^ FIFA programmes boost Afghan football by FIFA (FIFA, 8 April 2015)
  26. ^ "Sponsorships Hummel". Hummel. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Afghanistan eyes world cup to bring joys among war-hit Afghans". The Kabul Times. 24 July 2016. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Hummel presents new Afghanistan football shirt with hijab". Hummel. 7 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  29. ^ "Hummel ends sponsorship of Afghan football federation - The Local". Archived from the original on 6 December 2018.
  30. ^ Montague, James; Secker, Bradley (18 November 2021). "A Resilient Team for a Broken Nation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  31. ^ a b Bezhan, Frud (21 August 2013). "Historic Soccer Match Brings Unity To Afghanistan". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
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  33. ^ "Afghanistan beat Pakistan 3-0 in Kabul friendly". BBC News. 20 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
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