Afghanistan began their men’s cricket campaign at the 2026 Asian Games with a 48-run victory over hosts Japan in Nagoya on Thursday.

The reigning Asian Games silver medalists posted 129 runs before bowling Japan out for 81 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.

Arab Gul was Afghanistan’s leading bowler with four wickets for eight runs, while Nangeyalia Kharote claimed three for 19 as Afghanistan took control of the match after Japan reached 53 for three in the eighth over.

Japan lost their final eight wickets for just 28 runs.

Reo Sakurano-Thomas top-scored for Japan with 23, while Benjamin Ito-Davis made a quick 17 from eight balls.

Earlier, Afghanistan opener Mohammad Akram scored 34 from 29 balls, while captain Darwish Rasooli made 29 and Karim Janat contributed 21.

Mohammad Ishaq finished unbeaten on 25 from 17 deliveries to help Afghanistan set Japan a target of 130.

The match also marked the international debut of Hassan Eisakhil, son of veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi. Eisakhil was dismissed leg before wicket for three.

Afghanistan will face Nepal in their second Group A match on Friday, September 25, also at Korogi Sports Park.

Tournament format

The men’s cricket competition features 10 teams and is being played in the T20 format.

Six teams are competing in the preliminary group stage, with Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal in Group A, while Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman form Group B.

Each team in the preliminary stage plays the other teams in its group once. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, where they will meet India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who received direct entry to the knockout stage.

The quarter-finals are scheduled for September 28 and 29, followed by the semi-finals on October 1.

The bronze-medal match and gold-medal final will both be played on October 3.

All men’s cricket matches are being played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi.

Afghanistan entered the tournament as the silver medallists from the previous Asian Games, where India won gold and Bangladesh took bronze.

The Afghanistan squad is captained by Darwish Rasooli and includes experienced players such as Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran, alongside several young players. Mohammad Akram earned his place after impressive domestic league campaigns, while Ismat Alam also joined the squad after being named best player following a domestic league.

Other notable players competing at the Asian Games include India’s Shreyas Iyer and Abhishek Sharma, Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan and Bangladesh’s Litton Das.

Afghanistan will be looking to build on Thursday’s victory when they take on Nepal on Friday, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake

Sorkh Poshan Khafi maintained their position at the top of the Afghanistan Champions League Season 6 standings on Tuesday after defeating defending champions Abu Muslim Farah 2–0 in Kabul.

The victory means Sorkh Poshan Khafi have now won all four of their matches, taking their tally to 12 points and keeping them at the top of the points table.

The match was the second Afghanistan Champions League fixture played in Kabul on Tuesday and proved to be a physical contest, with five yellow cards shown as both sides battled for control.

Sorkh Poshan Khafi eventually broke through to take the lead and added a second goal to secure a convincing 2–0 victory and another clean sheet.

Yar Mohammad Zakarkhil was named Man of the Match for Sorkh Poshan Khafi following his performance.

For Abu Muslim Farah, the result is a setback for the defending champions, who were looking to build momentum in their title defence. The Farah-based side now face the challenge of recovering points as the league campaign continues.

Sorkh Poshan Khafi, meanwhile, remain unbeaten and have maximum points from their opening four matches, putting them firmly at the top of the standings at this stage of the competition.

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League Roshan features 10 clubs and runs until November 21.

Ariana Television Network (ATN) is broadcasting all Afghanistan Champions League matches live and exclusively in Afghanistan. Fans can follow ATN’s social media platforms for match schedules, results and tournament updates.

Omar Zawak Herat and Arman FC faced each other in the 18th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan on Tuesday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul. The high-scoring and entertaining match ended 4–2 in favor of Omar Zawak Herat.

The two teams started the match with a close contest, with no goals scored during the opening eight minutes. In the ninth minute, Omar Zawak captain Samir Samandari opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range strike.

Omar Zawak continued to press ahead in the second half, and in the 78th minute, Shadab Malekzadah doubled his side’s lead after receiving a well-delivered pass from a teammate.

Arman FC responded by increasing the pressure on their opponents and pulled a goal back in the 84th minute through a free kick. Omar Ceela scored for Arman FC.

The excitement increased in the closing stages, as Esmatullah Hadafmand scored Arman FC’s second goal in stoppage time, reducing the deficit to one goal.

However, Omar Zawak restored their advantage soon after. Captain Samir Samandari scored his second goal of the match in stoppage time, before Shadab Malekzadah added another to complete the 4–2 victory for Omar Zawak Herat.

Arman FC will face Aino Mina in their next match on September 25, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Toofan Herat on September 26.

Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.