Afghanistan’s national football team will begin its campaign in the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament on Monday night with a match against hosts Maldives.

The four-nation competition, which runs from June 1 to June 10, features Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The tournament has been organized to celebrate the 75th anniversary of football in the Maldives and will also serve as preparation for the 2026 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

The Afghan squad arrived in the Maldives earlier this week and held its first training session on Sunday as preparations continued for the opening fixture.

Afghanistan will face the host nation in its first match before taking on Pakistan and Bangladesh in the remaining group-stage encounters.

All participating teams, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have now arrived in the Maldives ahead of the tournament’s opening day.

The competition was originally expected to include Sri Lanka, but the team later withdrew and was replaced by Afghanistan. Bangladesh, which had initially considered fielding a split senior squad due to a concurrent tour of Europe, ultimately entered its Olympic team for the event.

The tournament revives a tradition of international invitational competitions hosted by the Maldives, including the Maldives Football Golden Jubilee Invitational Tournament held in 2000.

Cricket fans are set for a thrilling showdown on Sunday evening as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The highly anticipated match, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Kabul time, will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television, giving millions of viewers the opportunity to watch two of the tournament’s strongest teams battle it out for the IPL trophy.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter the final seeking to achieve a feat accomplished by only two teams in IPL history. Having lifted their maiden title in 2025, RCB are aiming to become just the third franchise to successfully defend the championship, following Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

RCB secured their place in the final with a dominant performance against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.

Captain Rajat Patidar produced one of the standout innings of the season, smashing an unbeaten 93 from just 33 balls to help Bengaluru post a record-breaking 254 for 5, the highest total ever recorded in an IPL playoff match. Their bowlers then completed a comprehensive 92-run victory.

Patidar’s leadership has been widely praised since guiding the franchise to its first IPL title last season. Another victory would place him alongside legendary captains MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as one of the few leaders to retain an IPL crown.

Veteran star Virat Kohli has once again been central to Bengaluru’s success, leading the team’s batting charts with 600 runs this season. He has been supported by Devdutt Padikkal and Patidar, while the bowling attack has been spearheaded by experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has claimed 28 wickets.

Gujarat Titans, meanwhile, fought their way back into the final after suffering defeat to RCB in Qualifier 1. The 2022 champions defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in Qualifier 2 to book their place in a third IPL final.

Captain Shubman Gill led from the front in that match, scoring a magnificent century as Gujarat chased down 215 runs, their highest successful run chase in IPL history. Gill and opening partner Sai Sudharsan have formed one of the most formidable batting partnerships of the tournament, scoring more than 1,400 runs between them this season.

Gill has amassed 722 runs while Sudharsan has scored 710, placing both players among the leading contenders for the Orange Cap awarded to the tournament’s highest run-scorer.

The battle with the ball could prove equally decisive. South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been one of the stars of the season and enters the final among the leading wicket-takers, while RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains close behind in the race for the Purple Cap.

The two teams have met nine times in IPL history, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru holding a narrow advantage with five victories to Gujarat’s four. This season they have faced each other three times, with Bengaluru winning twice and Gujarat claiming one victory.

Both sides also have happy memories of the Narendra Modi Stadium. Gujarat Titans lifted their maiden IPL title at the venue in 2022, while RCB celebrated their first championship triumph there last year.

With star players on both sides, championship history on the line, and millions expected to tune in, Sunday’s final promises to be a fitting conclusion to another memorable IPL season.

Afghan cricket fans can watch all the action live on Ariana Television this evening.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has unveiled his 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, with captain Lionel Messi leading the defending champions’ bid to retain the title in North America.

Argentina, who lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2022, will compete in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan as they attempt to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend a World Cup crown.

Messi, now 38, is poised to feature in his sixth World Cup after once again being included by Scaloni despite recent fitness concerns. The Inter Miami star reportedly experienced physical discomfort during his last Major League Soccer appearance, prompting caution from the Argentina coaching staff.

“We were watching Messi’s game back at the training complex when we realised he had asked to be substituted because he wasn’t feeling right,” Scaloni told DSports.

“The initial reports aren’t too bad. Naturally, we would have preferred that nothing had happened at all. Now we have to wait and see how things develop.”

Despite those concerns, Messi remains central to Argentina’s hopes as the team arrives at the tournament as both world and South American champions, having also retained the Copa America title in 2024.

Scaloni has largely kept faith with the core group that triumphed in Qatar, including goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, defenders Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi, midfielders Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, and forwards Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.

Martinez has been included despite suffering a fractured finger during Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa League final, while Romero is also recovering from a knee issue.

The squad also features several newer faces who were not part of the 2022 World Cup-winning side. Among them are highly rated midfielder Nico Paz, Palmeiras striker Jose Manuel Lopez and versatile defender Valentin Barco, who impressed during the European season.

“We have players for various roles,” Scaloni said.

“If everything goes according to plan, the squad will include players capable of giving us more dynamism and verticality if needed. We already have an established style of play and we won’t change it, but if circumstances require adaptation, we will do so.”

Several notable names from the Qatar-winning squad have been left out, including Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala, Marcos Acuna and Guido Rodriguez. Teenage Real Madrid prospect Franco Mastantuono also failed to make the provisional list.

Argentina secured qualification for the tournament in dominant fashion, finishing top of the South American qualifiers after sealing their place with five matches remaining. Scaloni’s side underlined their status as favourites with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Brazil during qualifying.

Since taking over in 2018 following the departure of Jorge Sampaoli, Scaloni has transformed Argentina into one of international football’s dominant forces. After ending the country’s long trophy drought with Copa America success in 2021, he guided the team to Finalissima glory, World Cup success in 2022 and a second straight continental title in 2024.

Argentina begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City before facing Austria in Dallas on June 22 and Jordan on June 27.

Argentina World Cup squad

Goalkeepers

Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso

Defenders

Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Facundo Medina

Midfielders

Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovanni Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernandez, Valentin Barco

Forwards

Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada, Nicolas Paz, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Jose Manuel Lopez