Wikipedia

Afghanistan national football team

This article is about the men’s team. For the women's team, seeAfghanistan women's national football team.

TheAfghanistan national football team(Pashto:د افغانستان د فوټبال ملي لوبډلهPersian:تیم ملی فوتبال افغانستان) is the national football team ofAfghanistanand is controlled by theAfghanistan Football Federation.Founded in 1922, they played their first international game againstIraninKabul,1941. Afghanistan then joinedFIFAin 1948 and theAFCin 1954, as one of the founding members. They play their home games at theGhazi National Olympic Stadiumin Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. In 2013, Afghanistan won the2013 SAFF Championshipand earned the "FIFA Fair Play Award".Afghanistan has never qualified for theAFC Asian Cup.[5]

Afghanistan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Lions of Khurasan[1]
AssociationAfghanistan Football Federation
ConfederationAFC(Asia)
Sub-confederationCAFA(Central Asia)
Head coachUsmon Toshev
CaptainSharif Mukhammad
MostcapsZohib Islam(70)
Top scorerFaysal Shayesteh(10)
Home stadiumGhazi Stadium
FIFA codeAFG
Firstcolours
Secondcolours
FIFA ranking
Current156Decrease1 (19 December 2024)[2]
Highest122 (April 2014)
Lowest204 (January 2003)
First international
Afghanistan0–0Iran
(Kabul,Afghanistan;25 August 1941)[3]
Biggest win
Bhutan1–8Afghanistan
(New Delhi,India;7 December 2011)
Biggest defeat
Turkmenistan11–0Afghanistan
(Ashgabat,Turkmenistan;19 November 2003)
CAFA Nations Cup
Appearances1 (first in2023)
Best resultGroup stage (2023)
SAFF Championship
Appearances7 (first in2003)
Best resultChampions(2013)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances3 (first in2006)
Best resultFourth place (2014)
Medal record
Men'sfootball
SAFF Championship
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nepal Team
Silver medal – second place 2011 India Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 India Team

History

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Early history

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Afghanistannational football team in the 1920s

Formed in 1922 and affiliated toFIFAsince 1948, theAfghanistan Football Federationwas one of the founding members of theAsian Football Confederationin 1954.[6]

The first football club established in the country,Mahmoudiyeh,was founded in 1934. Three years later the team traveled to India and took part in 18 games of which they won 8, lost 9 and drew 1. The second football club founded wasAriana Kabulwhich was established in 1941. This team traveled toTehran,Iran upon invitation, played 3 games, winning one game and losing two.

Afghanistan's only appearance and first FIFA international match was at the Olympic Games football tournament in the1948 Summer Olympic Gameswhen they playedLuxembourgon 26 July 1948 and lost 6–0. Prior to 2002,Afghanistanwas last seen on the international stage during the1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification,with its last match lost 6–1 againstJordanon 20 September 1984. Afghanistan played no international games from 1984 to 2002, due to the latter years of theSoviet–Afghan War,civil war in Afghanistan (1992–1996),and theTalibanregime's ban on recreational activities, including football.[7]

2001–2010

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Following the demise of the Taliban regime, the Afghan national team eventually returned to the international arena in 2002, when they playedSouth Koreain the Asian Games, losing 2–0. Afghanistan participated in their first international tournament in the2003 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 the2004 AFC Asian Cup qualificationwhere they won againstKyrgyzstanbut lost toNepaland failed to make it to the next round.

Afghanistan started itsFIFA World Cupcampaign for the first time in 2003 where they playedTurkmenistanin2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.They lost both matches in aggregate of 13–0. This was the first time Afghanistan participated inFIFA World Cup qualificationthough they had been affiliated since 1948. The team went to Pakistan to take part in the2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup,which they lost to theMaldives.[8]

Match scene between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in aFIFA World Cupqualification match inKabul,2003

They also participated in the first edition of theAFC Challenge Cupin 2006, for which they drew both matches withChinese Taipeiand thePhilippineswith Afghan footballersHafizullah QadamiandSayed Maqsood Hashemiboth scoring to produce a drawn result, and on their second world cup campaign in2010 FIFA World Cup qualificationwere eliminated bySyria.

In theSAFF Championship 2008Afghanistan lost toBhutanbut drew with Sri Lanka andBangladesh.Afghanistan entered the second round of theAFC Challenge Cupin 2008,[9]by winning in group D of theAFC Challenge Cup Qualification,drawing with Bangladesh and winning against Kyrgyzstan. In the2008 AFC Challenge Cup,Afghanistan lost all group matches toIndia,TajikistanandTurkmenistan.In2009 SAFF ChampionshipAfghanistan lost all its matches toMaldives,IndiaandNepal.Hashmatullah Barakzaiscored Afghanistan's only goal againstMaldivesin that loss.[10]

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Afghanistan competed in their thirdWorld Cup qualifying campaignplaying the first leg of their first match against Palestine in Tajikistan due to security reasons, which they lost, and the second leg of the match inPalestinewhich they drew withBalal Arezouscoring, meaning they failed to advance to the second round and were eliminated.

2011 SAFF Championship

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Players are celebrating after winning their2011 SAFF ChampionshipSemi-final against Nepal

In2011 SAFF ChampionshipAfghanistan defeatedBhutan8–1, the 2nd biggest victory in the history of the Afghanistan football team. In this match, Balal Arezou scored the onlyhat-trickof the competition with 4 goals and the team scored thequickest goalof the tournament throughAta Yamraliin the third minute. It was Afghanistan's firstSemi-final.In the Semi-final of the tournament, the Afghans faced Nepal whom they beat 1–0 inextra timewith the only goal scored by Balal Arezou in the 101st minute. It was the first win of Afghanistan over Nepal. In the final, Afghanistan played India to whom they lost 4–0.

2012 AFC Challenge Cup

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Afghanistan defeatedBhutan5–0 in2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification.In the first leg, they beatBhutan3–0 withSidiq Walizadascoring all 3 goals, and 2–0 in the second leg. In the second qualification round, Afghanistan lost toNepalandNorth Korea,whilst beatingSri Lankabut failed to qualify for thenext stage.

Afghan Premier League

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For the first time in the football history ofAfghanistanthe AFF announced a league where 8 teams will compete against each other. The league was established in 2012 with the first season running through September and October of that year. 8 teams were concurrently established in 2012 to become the inaugural competitors.[11]

Players for the league were found through a reality television show calledMaidan e Sabz( "Green Field" ).[12]The concept came from theAfghanistan Football Federationand the Afghanistan-basedMOBY 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.[13]

TheAfghan High Peace Councilhas praised the creation and development of the League as an, "opportunity to bring peace and stability" to Afghanistan.[11]

2013 SAFF Championship winners

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See also:2013 SAFF Championship Final
2013 SAFF Championship Finalstarting lineup on 11 September 2013, inDasarath Stadium(Kathmandu,Nepal).
Hamidullah Karimiwith theSAFF Championshiptrophy after their win againstIndia

On 20 August 2013 before the2013 SAFF ChampionshipAfghanistan played Pakistan in aFIFAapproved 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 fromSandjar Ahmadi,Ahmad HatifiandMaruf Mohammadi.[14]

Afghanistan entered the2013 SAFF Championshipas the highest ranked team byFIFAin the tournament placed at 139th. Afghanistan started the campaign with a 3-goal victory overBhutan,with goals fromAmirialso known as Afghanistan's best ever player,AzadzoyandBarakzai.The second match again ended with a 3–1 victory over Sri Lanka with goals fromRafi,Amiriand Barakzai. The Semi-final of the tournament was the repeat of last year's edition with Afghanistan again defeating Nepal with a solitary goal ofSandjar Ahmadi,that took Afghanistan in to the final of the tournament against India once again.Mansur Faqiryarof 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 the2011 SAFF Championshipfinalists again atDashrath StadiumNepal, where Afghanistan outplayed the defending champions India by 2 goals.[15]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 firstSAFF Championshiptitle in their history.[16]Mansur Faqiryar was named the best player of the tournament, for his outstanding goal keeping skills throughout the tournament.

AFC Challenge Cup 2014

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In the2014 AFC Challenge Cup,Afghanistan did well to reach the Semi-final, losing to the eventual champions Palestine, 2–0. They finished their campaign in fourth spot, the country's highest finishing place in the short term the cup has existed, losing to Maldives on a penalty shoot out: (7–8) after a 1–1 draw for third spot of the competition. On 10 June 2014 Afghanistan Football Federation moved from South Asian Football FederationSAFFto theCAFF.At the 2014 Ballon D'or ceremony, the Afghanistan Football Federation won theFIFA Fair Play Award.Afghanistan was honored with the award for the outstanding performance of the Afghanistan football during the year, despite the chaos of war and difficult political situations the country is facing.FIFAmade a statement and posted on its website that "Following a year of remarkable achievement in grassroots level football, building infrastructure to further develop football throughout the country and nurturing a professional league despite enduring over a decade of disorder stemming from war, Afghanistan has been presented the 2013 FIFA Fair Play Award."

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

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Afghan national team before the2018 FIFA World Cup qualificationmatch againstJapan,Azadi Stadium

On 9 February 2015, it was confirmed that the AFF signed a new coach for the national team. German-Bosnian trainerSlaven Skeledzic,signed a 1-year contract with the AFF. The new trainer had earlier coached the under 17 and under 19 teams in Germany. Skeledzic played football in Germany and coached youth teams in theBundesliga.[17]On 27 April 2015 the AFF signed a contract with a new sponsor called Alokozay Group of Companies.[18]

Afghanistan began the qualification with a 6–0 loss againstSyria.After this match they had to play against lower rankedCambodia.They won their firstWorld Cup qualificationmatch in the history of Afghanistan football. In their 3rd match againstJapan,Afghanistan lost again 6–0. AgainstSingaporethey lost 1–0. They lost 5–2 against Syria. In October 2015 the AFF forcedSkeledzicto resign from his position, after the 5–2 defeat against Syria. In November 2015, the Afghan National Team announced thatPetar Segrtwas appointed as the new head coach. With a new coach and new players Afghanistan won their 2nd match against Cambodia with 3–0. After the qualifications the SAFF Championship started.[19]

2015 SAFF Championship

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See also:2015 SAFF Championship Final

This was the last edition of theSAFF Championshipwhere the national team of Afghanistan would play. After the team was announced Afghanistan began preparing for the tournament. They were in a group of 4 countries which was:Maldives,Bangladesh,Bhutanand Afghanistan. Afghanistan won the first match 4–0 against Bangladesh. After they won the second match against Bhutan 3–0 they qualified for the semi-finals. They won their last match against Maldives 4–1. In the semi-final Afghanistan had to play againstSri Lanka.The match ended in a 5–0 win for Afghanistan. Eventually after reaching the final quite easily, Afghanistan had to play against tournament favoriteIndia.This was a replay of the finals in the2011and2013 SAFF Championships.After 90 minutes the match ended in a 1–1 draw. After this moment India scored the 2–1 and won the2015 SAFF Championshipfor the 7th time.Khaibar Amaniwas given the topscorer of the tournament award with 4 goals.

2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification

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Afghan supporters watching their national team play against Japan during2018 FIFA World Cup qualificationinAzadi Stadium,Tehran.

When the tournament ended Afghanistan still had a chance to qualify for the2019 AFC Asian Cup.After their second loss againstJapanwith a 5–0 defeat, Afghanistan had to win againstSingaporeto qualify as 4th best in their group. And so they did with a 2–1 win against Singapore and a qualification spot for the 3rd round of the2019 AFC Asian Cup.

After the World Cup qualification ended, Afghanistan played some friendly games. In September againstLebanonwhich the game ended in a 2–0 win for Lebanon. In October againstMalaysiawhich ended in a 1–1 draw. Before the match against Tajikistan Segrt called up 24 players which did not include the playerZohib Islam Amiribecause the player previously made the decision to not play anymore for Afghanistan. But without letting Segrt know the AFF did included Amiri in the squad. Segrt disagreed with theAFFand made the decision to quit as the head coach of the national team. This was just after his 1-year anniversary with the national team. The match againstTajikistanended in a 1–0 loss for Afghanistan.Anoush Dastgirled the team as interim coach for this match.

In February 2017, theAFFannounced the signing ofOtto Pfisteras the new head coach of the national team.[20]Afghanistan played a friendly game againstSingaporebefore the Asian Cup qualification match againstVietnam.Afghanistan won the game with 2–1 with goals fromMukhammadandAzadzoy.[21]The important Asian Cup qualification match against Vietnam ended in a 1–1 draw with a goal fromHassan Amin.[22]However, Afghanistan since then has suffered a serious setback. In the match against opponentCambodiainPhnom Penh,which Afghanistan once defeated 4–0, Afghanistan had shocked by losing 0–1 against the same rival. Later, Afghanistan suffered second defeat, this time againstJordan,with the score 1–4 inAmman.Between two official qualification matches, Afghanistan also lost 0–2 toOmanin a friendly match. Afghanistan's late effort later only helped them to manage a 3–3 draw against Jordan, and Afghanistan was near the verge of being eliminated if they could not defeat Vietnam in the fifth match. At the crucial match against Vietnam inHanoi,despite Afghanistan had nearly outplayed the host, failed efforts and bad lucks had prevented Afghanistan to seal a victory, as the match ended 0–0, effectively eliminated Afghanistan from the qualification while Vietnam went to seal the ticket to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup with Jordan, after 1–0 victory over Cambodia. Afghanistan played their last match against Cambodia who also failed to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The match ended in a 2–1 victory for Afghanistan.[23]After the match it was announced that Pfister will leave his job and thatAnoush Dastgirwill be the new head coach of the national team with the addition ofShabir Isoufias the new assistant coach of Afghanistan.[24][25]On 13 July 2018 it was announced that Afghanistan will play a friendly game in Kabul, Afghanistan for the first time since 2013 againstPalestine.[26]

Team image

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Home stadium

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Further information:Ghazi Stadium
TheGhazi StadiuminKabul,which is now referred to as the Afghan Football Federation Stadium

Major football matches in Afghanistan are held at the Afghan Football Federation Stadium (popularly known as theGhazi Stadium) in Kabul. It was built in 1923 during the reign of KingAmanullah Khan,who is regarded as Ghazi (Hero) for the Afghan victory in the Third Anglo-Afghan War and gaining independence for his nation after the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919. The stadium has the capacity to house 25,000 people. The first international football match hosted there was played between Iran and Afghanistan in 1941 and ended as a draw, 0–0. Their2006 FIFA World Cup qualificationsecond leg match was played at the Ghazi Stadium against Turkmenistan which Afghanistan lost 2–0, having previously lost the first leg 11–0. The stadium is maintained and controlled by theAfghanistan Football Federation.TheAfghan Premier Leagueand other local football tournaments take place in the stadium. The Ghazi Stadium was renovated in 2011 after the entire ground was removed and replaced with new soil andartificial turfplaced on top. The stadium now holds bigger sporting events. The proposed construction of a new national stadium was completed in the 2013/2014 season which cost 25 million euros.[27]In 2015, FIFA helped the AFF with the reconstruction of new youth teams and develop also women's football for the national team.[28]

Kit

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Since 2002 until 2004, the Japanese sports brandASICSwas the sponsor for the national team. From 2005, the German sports brandAdidaswas the sponsor of the national team until 2008. In 2009, the Danish sports brandHummelequipped the national team. In 2011 theAfghanistan Football Federationhad signed a four-year contract with Hummel, to provide both the men's andwomen'snational teams with all of the sportswear from 2011 to 2015.[29]On 6 March 2015, the Afghan Football Federation signed a new four-year contract with Hummel till 2019. On 27 April 2015, the AFF signed a contract with a new sponsor called Alokozay Group of Companies. This sponsor will be on the shirts of the national team.[30]Hummel released in 2016 the new kits for Afghanistan. It included an integrated hijab for the femaleAfghanistanfootballers to play with while being covered from head to toe.[31]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.[32]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2005-2008 Adidas
2009–2020 Hummel AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)
2020–2023 JAKO AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)
2024–present SIX5SIX AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)

Sponsors

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Alokozay,MOBY Group,Lemar&TOLOare the national team's sponsors.

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.[33]

Rivalries

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Further information:Afghanistan–Pakistan football rivalry

Afghanistan is currentlyrivals withPakistanin many sports, including cricket and football. The national teams ofPakistanand Afghanistan regularly held sporting events in early years, but diplomatic ties were cut after theSoviet invasion of Afghanistanin 1979. The ensuing civil war and political instability in Afghanistan prevented the two sides from meeting again until 2003.[34]Due to thehistorical, cultural and political relationshipbetween 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",[34][35][36]although the interest in Pakistan toward the rivalry and for football in general is more muted.[37]

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

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21 March 2024(2024-03-21)2026 World Cup qualifiersAfghanistan0–0IndiaKhamis Mushait,Saudi Arabia[note 1]
22:00UTC+3 Report Stadium:Damac Club Stadium
Attendance: 3,900
Referee:Kim Hee-gon(South Korea)
26 March 2024(2024-03-26)2026 World Cup qualifiersIndia1–2AfghanistanGuwahati,India
19:00UTC+5:30
Report
Stadium:IGA Stadium
Attendance: 8,932
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)
6 June 2024(2024-06-06)2026 World Cup qualifiersAfghanistan0–0QatarHofuf,Saudi Arabia[note 1]
19:00UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium:Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sport City
Referee:Sivakorn Pu-udom(Thailand)
11 June 2024(2024-06-11)2026 World Cup qualificationKuwait1–0AfghanistanKuwait City,Kuwait
18:45UTC+3 Al Rashidi81' Report Stadium:Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
16 November 2024(2024-11-16)FriendlyNepal2–0AfghanistanDushanbe,Tajikistan
18:00UTC+5
Report Stadium:Pamir Stadium
19 November 2024(2024-11-19)FriendlyTajikistan3–1AfghanistanDushanbe,Tajikistan
18:00UTC+5
Report
Stadium:Pamir Stadium

2025

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21 March 2025(2025-03-21)FriendlyThailandvAfghanistanBangkok,Thailand
--:--UTC+7 Stadium:Rajamangala Stadium
25 March 2025(2025-03-25)2027 Asian Cup qualificationMyanmarvAfghanistanYangon,Myanmar
--:--UTC+6:30 Stadium:Thuwunna Stadium
10 June 2025(2025-06-10)2027 Asian Cup qualificationAfghanistanvSyriaTBD[note 1]
--:-- Stadium:TBD
9 October 2025(2025-10-09)2027 Asian Cup qualificationPakistanCancelledAfghanistanIslamabad,Pakistan
--:--UTC+5 Stadium:Jinnah Sports Stadium
14 October 2025(2025-10-14)2027 Asian Cup qualificationAfghanistanCancelledPakistanTBD[note 1]
--:-- Stadium:TBD
18 November 2025(2025-11-18)2027 Asian Cup qualificationAfghanistanvMyanmarTBD[note 1]
--:-- Stadium:TBD

2026

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31 March 2026(2026-03-31)2027 Asian Cup qualificationSyriavAfghanistanTBD[note 2]
--:-- Stadium:TBD

Coaching staff

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Position Name
Head coach Usmon Toshev
Assistant coach Umidjon Khatamov
Goalkeeping coach Hamidullah Yosufzai
Equipment manager Mahdi Shirzad
National Team manager Samir Homauni
Media Mustafa Hashimi

Coaching history

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As of 28 March 2024
Caretaker managers are listed initalics.

Players

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Current squad

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The following 23 players were named in the squad for the friendly matches againstNepalandTajikistanbetween 16 and 19 November 2024.[41]

  • Caps and goals are correct as of 11 June 2024 after the match againstKuwait.[42]
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Ovays Azizi (1992-01-29)29 January 1992(age 33) 44 0 Ariana
1GK Faisal Hamidi (1997-03-16)16 March 1997(age 27) 10 0 Attack Energy
1GK Keyvan Mottaghian (2002-11-16)16 November 2002(age 22) 0 0 APOP Polis
2DF Zohib Islam Amiri (1990-02-15)15 February 1990(age 35) 69 6 Blainville
2DF Sharif Mukhammad (1990-03-21)21 March 1990(age 34) 31 3 Abu Muslim
2DF Mahboob Hanifi (1997-03-22)22 March 1997(age 27) 12 0 Attack Energy
2DF Habibulla Askar (1999-08-09)9 August 1999(age 25) 5 0 Voska Sport
2DF Mohammad Naeem Rahimi (1994-04-04)4 April 1994(age 30) 4 0 Kingston City
2DF Siar Sadat (2003-08-21)21 August 2003(age 21) 3 0 Blainville
2DF Yahyie Shirzai (2005-05-22)22 May 2005(age 19) 0 0 Ishøj
3MF Zelfy Nazary (1995-01-01)1 January 1995(age 30) 17 1 Abu Muslim
3MF Taufee Skandari (1999-04-02)2 April 1999(age 25) 11 0 PSIS Semarang
3MF Maziar Kouhyar (1997-09-30)30 September 1997(age 27) 10 0 Kidderminster Harriers
3MF Mosawer Ahadi (2000-03-08)8 March 2000(age 24) 9 0 Abu Muslim
3MF Rahmat Akbari (2000-06-22)22 June 2000(age 24) 7 1 Free agent
3MF Jamshed Asekzai (1997-10-09)9 October 1997(age 27) 6 0 Lunds
3MF Yama Sherzad (2001-01-01)1 January 2001(age 24) 3 0 Prishtina Bern
3MF Hakim Niazi (2006-08-14)14 August 2006(age 18) 1 0 Attack Energy
3MF Said Aref (2003-08-04)4 August 2003(age 21) 0 0 Zenit Penza
4FW Balal Arezou (1988-12-28)28 December 1988(age 36) 28 9 Grane Arendal
4FW Omid Musawi (2001-01-01)1 January 2001(age 24) 11 0 Selangor
4FW Hossein Zamani (2002-11-23)23 November 2002(age 22) 4 1 Gioiese
4FW Moshtaq Ahmadi (1996-04-21)21 April 1996(age 28) 2 0 Free agent

Recent call-ups

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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 Abu Muslim v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
GK Faisal Saeed Khil (2005-02-19)19 February 2005(age 19) 0 0 Sarrafan v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
DF Najim Haidary (1999-12-22)22 December 1999(age 25) 12 0 VV Capelle v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
DF Amid Arezou (1996-02-17)17 February 1996(age 28) 1 0 Vindbjart v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
MF Omid Popalzay (1996-01-25)25 January 1996(age 29) 42 6 PSPS Pekanbaru v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
MF Mustafa Azadzoy (1992-07-24)24 July 1992(age 32) 37 3 Atlas Delmenhorst v.India,26 March 2024
MF Edriss Hushmand (1999-05-01)1 May 1999(age 25) 1 0 Ariana v.India,26 March 2024
FW Jabar Sharza (1994-04-06)6 April 1994(age 30) 17 4 Ariana v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
FW Fareed Sadat (1998-11-20)20 November 1998(age 26) 9 0 Persikabo v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
FW Sayeed Reza Hussaini (1988-01-01)1 January 1988(age 37) 1 0 Para Hills Knights v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
FW Sayed Fatemi (1999-01-08)8 January 1999(age 26) 1 0 Preston Lions v.Kuwait,11 June 2024
FW Amin Nabizada (2007-06-21)21 June 2007(age 17) 0 0 Watford U18 v.India,21 March 2024WD
FW Ramien Safi (1999-10-17)17 October 1999(age 25) 0 0 SV Rödinghausen v.India,21 March 2024WD
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

Records

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As of 19 November 2024[43]
Players inboldare still active with Afghanistan.

Most appearances

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Zohib Islam Amiri is Afghanistan's most capped player with 70 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Period
1 Zohib Islam Amiri 71 6 2005–present
2 Faysal Shayesteh 59 10 2014–present
3 Ovays Azizi 46 0 2015–present
4 Omid Popalzay 42 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

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Faysal Shayesteh is Afghanistan's top scorer with 10 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Period
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
4 Sandjar Ahmadi 6 22 0.27 2011–2015
Omid Popalzay 6 42 0.14 2015–present
Zohib Islam Amiri 6 71 0.08 2005–present
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

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FIFA World Cup

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Draws include knockout matches decided viapenalty shoot-out;correct as of 11 June 2024, after the match against Kuwait.

FIFA World Cuprecord Qualificationrecord
Year Host Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
1930to1938 Not member of FIFA Not member of FIFA
1950to2002 Did not enter Did not enter
2006 Germany Did not qualify 1st round 2 0 0 2 0 13
2010 South Africa 1st round 2 0 0 2 1 5
2014 Brazil 1st round 2 0 1 1 1 3
2018 Russia 4th 8 3 0 5 8 24
2022 Qatar 4th 8 1 3 4 5 15
2026 Canada
Mexico
United States		 4th 8 3 2 3 5 14
2030 Morocco
Portugal
Spain		 To be determined To be determined
2034 Saudi Arabia
Total — – – – – – – 0/20 30 7 6 17 20 74

AFC Asian Cup

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Year AFC Asian Cuprecord Qualificationrecord
Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
1956 Withdrew Withdrew
1960 Did not enter Did not enter
1964 Withdrew Withdrew
1968 Did not enter Did not enter
1972
1976 Did not qualify 4th 6 0 1 5 3 18
1980 3rd 4 0 1 3 4 11
1984 5th 4 0 1 3 1 20
1988 Did not enter Did not enter
1992
1996
2000
2004 Did not qualify 3rd 2 1 0 1 2 5
2007 Did not enter Did not enter
2011
2015 Did not qualify AFC Challenge Cup
2019 3rd 14 4 3 7 15 34
2023 3rd 11 1 4 6 9 21
2027 To be determined To be determined
Totals 0/17 – – – – – – — 41 6 10 25 34 109

Draws include knockout matches decided onpenalty kicks;correct as of 27 March 2018 after the match against Cambodia.

CAFA Championship

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Year CAFA Nations Cuprecord
Round Pld W D L GF GA
2023 Group stage 2 0 0 2 1 9
Total 1/1 2 0 0 2 1 9

SAFF Championship (2003–2015)

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SAFF Championshiprecord
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1993 Not a part of SAFF
1995
1997
1999
2003 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 0 6
2005 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 11
2008 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 5 7
2009 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 7
2011 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 13 7
2013 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 1
2015 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 0 1 17 3
2018– onwards Not a part of SAFF
Totals 1 title 7/11 27 12 4 11 48 42

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

Summer Olympics

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Summer Olympicsrecord
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
1900to1936 Did not enter
1948 Preliminary round 1 0 0 1 0 6
1952 Did not enter
1956to1960 Withdrew
1964to1988 Did not enter
Since1992 SeeAfghanistan under-23 team
Total 1/20 1 0 0 1 0 6

Asian Games

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Asian Gamesrecord
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
1951 Fourth place 2 0 0 2 0 5
1954 Group stage 2 0 0 2 4 12
1958to1998 Did not enter
Since2002 SeeAfghanistan under-23 team
Totals 2/13 4 0 0 4 4 17

AFC Challenge Cup (2006–2014)

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Year AFC Challenge Cuprecord Qualification record
Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
2006 Group stage 3 0 2 1 3 5 Qualified automatically
2008 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 10 1st 2 1 1 0 1 0
2010 Withdrew Withdrew
2012 Did not qualify 3rd 5 3 0 2 6 3
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

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Regional

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^abcdeAfghanistan will play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoingAfghan conflict.
  2. ^Syria will be required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoingSyrian civil war.
  3. ^From 1988 to 2003, Afghanistan didn't play any matches due to security concerns within the country.

References

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  12. ^Roshan Afghan Premier League a hit with fansArchived28 August 2019 at theWayback Machineby Tahir Qadiry (BBC News,22 September 2012)
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