Tuesday’s quarter-final action at the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup delivered high-stakes drama as four teams booked their places in the semifinals of the continental tournament.

Defending champions Iran staged a thrilling comeback to defeat Uzbekistan 7-4. Uzbekistan had raced into an early lead, but Iran rallied with relentless attacking pressure to secure their semi-final berth.

Iraq continued their impressive run, beating Thailand 4-1 to reach the last four for the first time since 2018. Iraq’s victory sets up a compelling semifinal clash with Iran later in the week.

In another exciting fixture, host nation Indonesia reached the semifinals for the first time in over a decade by edging Vietnam 3-2. Indonesia took an early lead and held off a late surge from Vietnam to delight local supporters.

Meanwhile, former champions Japan delivered a dominant performance to eliminate Afghanistan 6-0. Japan pulled away in the second half to secure a comprehensive win and extend their title hopes.

The results set up two blockbuster semifinal ties on Thursday: Iran will face Iraq, while Japan meets Indonesia in a highly anticipated encounter between regional rivals.

Tuesday’s action marked a dramatic turn in the competition as the elite teams of Asian futsal sharpen their focus on lifting the continental crown.

All matches are being broadcast live and exclusively across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.

The Afghanistan national futsal team was eliminated from the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Indonesia after suffering a 6–0 defeat to Japan in their fourth match of the tournament.

This encounter marked Afghanistan’s quarter-final clash in the competition.

Despite strong effort and determination, the Lions of Khurasan were unable to find the back of the net in the first half, which ended 1–0 in Japan’s favor.

In the second half, Afghanistan controlled possession for long periods and showed improved rhythm, but they still could not break through Japan’s solid defense.

Japan ultimately dominated the match, scoring six goals in succession against Afghanistan.

Earlier in the tournament, Afghanistan had been defeated by Iran 5–2 in their third match.

However, the team had started the competition strongly, winning their first two games, 3–0 against Saudi Arabia and 7–0 against Malaysia.

All remaining matches of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 are being broadcast live on Ariana Television across Afghanistan.

Afghanistan delivered a dominant performance against Scotland in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match on Monday, registering a comprehensive 184/6 in 20 overs and restricting their opponents to 123 all out in 19.3 overs.

After winning the toss in Bengaluru, Afghanistan elected to bat. Darwish Rasooli starred with 84 runs off just 46 balls, supported by Ibrahim Zadran (36) and Mohammad Nabi (34), helping Afghanistan post a competitive total. The team scored at a healthy rate of 9.20 runs per over, with extras contributing 8 runs.

Scotland struggled in reply, losing wickets at regular intervals. Azmatullah Omarzai was particularly effective, claiming 3 crucial wickets, while Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gulbadin Naib, and Ziaur Rahman shared the spoils to keep Scotland under pressure. The visitors were bowled out for 123, falling 61 runs short of the target, with only Matthew Cross (21) and Michael Jones (21) showing resistance.

Afghanistan’s win highlights their strong batting depth and disciplined bowling, sending a clear message ahead of the main tournament. 

Afghanistan will face West Indies in their next warm-up game on Wednesday.