Afghanistan’s national futsal team has departed Kabul for Vietnam as part of its preparations for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026.

Officials from the Futsal Committee of the Afghanistan Football Federation confirmed on Friday that the team will play two friendly matches against host nation Vietnam during the visit. The fixtures are aimed at sharpening the squad ahead of upcoming continental competition.

Following the matches in Vietnam, the Afghan team is scheduled to travel to Thailand to continue its training camp. In Thailand, Afghanistan will face the Thai national futsal team in two additional friendly matches.

The international fixtures form part of Afghanistan’s build-up to the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026, where the team has been drawn in Group C alongside Iran, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia.

Team officials said the friendlies will provide valuable match experience and help assess the squad’s readiness as Afghanistan prepares for the Asian tournament.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has approved a new policy limiting national players to participate in only three international franchise leagues per year, in addition to the upcoming five-team Afghanistan Premier League (APL), which is set to start around October 2026 in the UAE, the board announced at its annual general meeting in Kabul.

According to the ACB, the measure is designed to protect player fitness and mental well-being, manage workload, and ensure peak performance during national duties.

Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are among key players that feature in foreign leagues.

Afghanistan’s next international series is a three-match T20I against West Indies in the UAE, ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India.

Manchester City moved a step closer to the Carabao Cup final after securing a 2–0 victory over Newcastle United in the first leg of their semi-final at St James’ Park on Tuesday night, with new signing Antoine Semenyo once again proving decisive.

Semenyo, who joined City in a £65 million move, continued his impressive start to life under Pep Guardiola by scoring for the second consecutive game. His strike made him the first City player since Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009 to score in his first two appearances for the club and put the visitors ahead against the run of play.

Newcastle started brightly and threatened early, with Yoane Wissa forcing goalkeeper James Trafford into action and later seeing efforts hit the woodwork twice in quick succession after the break. City, however, made the most of their reprieve, breaking forward on the counter as Jeremy Doku led the charge before Semenyo pounced to open the scoring.

Eddie Howe had voiced frustration before the match over a rule change that allowed Semenyo to feature in the tie despite earlier appearances for Bournemouth in the competition, and Newcastle were made to pay as City grew in control during the second half.

Semenyo appeared to have doubled his tally following a corner, but the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR review for interference by Erling Haaland. City remained composed and eventually sealed the win deep into added time when substitute Rayan Cherki finished off a sweeping move initiated by Rayan Ait-Nouri.

The result gives City a commanding advantage ahead of the second leg in Manchester next month, as Guardiola’s side look to book their place at Wembley, while Newcastle face a difficult task to overturn the deficit.

Football fans across Afghanistan can meanwhile tune in tonight, Wednesday January 14, to Ariana Television to watch the second semi-final where Chelsea will take on Arsenal.

Fans can follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for match details.