Afghanistan got their men’s futsal campaign at the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games off to a flying start, defeating Panama 5-0 in their opening Group A match on Monday, November 2.

The Afghan side delivered an impressive performance, scoring twice in the first half and adding three more goals after the break to complete a convincing five-goal victory.

Reza Karimi, Hussain Hassani, Mohammad Akbari, Farhad Nazari and Ali Ahmadi were all on target, with each player scoring once.

Hassani and Zakir Hussain Abdullahi registered two assists, and Akbari registered one.

The emphatic result gives Afghanistan three valuable points and an excellent start to their bid for a place in the semi-finals.

Under the Dakar 2026 men’s futsal format, eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage.

Afghanistan will next face Argentina on November 4 before concluding their Group A campaign against Senegal on November 7.

The five-goal victory provides an early boost for Afghanistan as they look to progress through the group stage and challenge for a medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

Fans can meanwhile tune in and watch the Dakar Youth Olympic Games exclusively on Ariana Radio and Television Network.

Afghanistan have climbed to the sixth spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, surpassing Sri Lanka to secure their highest-ever position.

Since making their ODI debut in 2009, Afghanistan have been ever-rising across formats, with historic feats such as wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023 and a maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final appearance in 2024.

They have won 96 of their 191 matches in the ODI format with an impressive win-loss ratio of 1.09.

Afghanistan were already above experienced teams like Bangladesh, England and West Indies, and have now also overtaken Sri Lanka to achieve their highest-ever position in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings.

Their recent successes include a 4-0 series win over Ireland away from home and an unbeaten run in the recently concluded tri-series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

They recently clean swept Zimbabwe in the T20I format as well, and are now all set to face Zimbabwe in a two-match Test series.

Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN) and the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) signed an agreement in Kabul on Monday for the organization, production and broadcast of the fifth and sixth seasons of the Afghanistan Futsal Premier League.

The first half of the fifth season is scheduled to begin on December 7 and run until December 31. The second half of the competition will start on January 10 and continue until February 6, 2027.

A total of 10 teams are expected to compete in the upcoming season. Eight teams have so far been confirmed: Sadaqat FC, Norzad FC, Omid FC, Zaitoon FC, Zahir Asad FC, Etihad FC, Jawanan-e-Mihan and Pirouzi Panjshir. The remaining two teams will be announced later.

Sadaqat FC, last season’s champions, will return to defend their title, while two teams from the previous season, Deyar Sanayee and Arya Forj, have been relegated.

Farid Ahmad Yousafzai, Deputy Technical Director of the Afghanistan Futsal Committee, said the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system last season was a successful initiative that received positive attention both domestically and internationally.

He said organizers hope to use the technology differently this season in line with changes to futsal rules. According to Yousafzai, the new rules have so far been implemented in Italy’s Serie A and at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, with Afghanistan’s Futsal Premier League set to become the third official competition to adopt them.

Yousafzai added that the changes will bring significant adjustments to refereeing. He also announced that Tamim Hosseini, a referee from Australia, is expected to arrive in Kabul on December 1. He will officiate alongside international referee Atiqullah Niyaze, and Khaliqyar Payman, who recently returned from an academy in Malaysia.

Hamidullah Sharifi, ATN’s Channel Manager and Head of Acquisitions, said the network has consistently sought to bring quality sports content to Afghan audiences. He expressed confidence that the upcoming season would offer improvements in both production quality and television coverage.