Sport
Afghanistan drawn in Group A of AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers
The Afghanistan U17 side has been drawn into Group A, alongside Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Cambodia, setting up a challenging qualification campaign for the young Afghan team.
Afghanistan have been drawn in Group A for the qualifying round of the 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup, which will be held in Uzbekistan next year.
Afghanistan will face Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Cambodia in the five-team group. Myanmar will host the group, with the qualifiers scheduled to be played as centralised single round-robin tournaments from November 8 to 20.
Only the seven group winners will qualify for the 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup, meaning there will be no qualification route for the runners-up.
The seven qualifying group winners will join nine teams that have already secured places in the 16-team finals. The automatically qualified teams are Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The direct qualification places are linked to the revamped FIFA U17 World Cup format. The tournament was expanded from 24 to 48 teams in 2025 and is now held annually, with Qatar hosting the competition through 2029. Asia has nine places at the global tournament, including Qatar’s host berth.
Japan are the defending AFC U17 Asian Cup champions after defeating China 3-2 in the 2026 final in Jeddah to claim a record-extending fifth continental title.
The 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup will be held in Uzbekistan from May 12 to 29, with 16 teams competing for the continental crown.
ATN brings the action to Afghan viewers
With broadcast rights in Afghanistan, ATN will provide coverage of the qualifying matches on Ariana Television, giving supporters across the country the opportunity to follow Afghanistan’s U17 team throughout its qualification campaign.
The broadcast continues ATN’s commitment to bringing major Asian football competitions to audiences across Afghanistan, including AFC competitions and international football.
For Afghanistan’s young players, the Group A campaign represents an opportunity to compete against some of Asia’s emerging football nations — with a place at the continental finals at stake.
All eyes will be on November 8, when the road to Uzbekistan 2027 begins.
Sorkh Poshan Khafi secured a convincing 3–0 victory over Aino Mina in the fourth match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul on Saturday.
Yar Mohammad Zekrkhail opened the scoring for Sorkh Poshan Khafi, before the side added two more goals to complete a comfortable win.
In the fifth match of the competition, Ariana Khost came from a 1–1 half-time scoreline to beat Arman FC 3–1.
Macdonald Ngwa Niba, an Arman FC player, opened the scoring against Ariana Khost with the team’s only goal.
Ariana Khost’s goals were scored by Jawad Alkozay, Arash Ahmadi, and Habibullah Hotak.
Ariana Khost found the net twice in the second half to seal all three points and secure a strong victory.
The sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan continues on Monday with two more fixtures:
Abu Muslim Farah vs Isteqlal Kabul | 3:30 PM
Omar Zawak vs Sarsabz Yashlar | 7:00 PM
Ariana Television will broadcast both matches live and exclusively, bringing the action directly to football fans across Afghanistan.
Omar Zawak and Toofan Herat secured victories in the second and third matches of the sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul on Friday.
Omar Zawak opened the day’s results with a 2–0 victory over Khurasan Faryab. Shadab Malekzada and Bilal Akbari scored for Omar Zawak to seal all three points.
In the third match, Toofan Herat produced a 3–1 win over Esteqlal Kabul. Merajuddin Kalantari scored Esteqlal’s lone goal, while Fraidoon Seyedi and Enayatullah Kohi were on target for Toofan. Kohi scored twice to complete the victory.
Two more matches set for Saturday
The competition continues on Saturday, September 12, 2026, with two more fixtures scheduled:
- Sorkh Poshan Khafi vs. Aino Mina — 3:30 p.m.
- Arman FC vs. Ariana Khost — 7:00 p.m.
Ariana Television Network (ATN) will broadcast both matches live and exclusively, allowing football fans across Afghanistan to follow the action as it unfolds.
The sixth season of the Roshana Afghanistan Champions League continues as teams compete for crucial points and a stronger position in the tournament standings.
Sport
Abu Muslim Farah beat Sarsabz Yashlar 3–0 in sixth season of ACL opener
Fans across Afghanistan can watch today’s second and third matches live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Defending champions Abu Muslim Farah made a winning start to the sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, defeating Sarsabz Yashlar of Faryab 3–0 in the opening match.
The match, played Thursday evening at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium, saw Abu Muslim Farah dominate proceedings and secure all three points with a convincing performance.
Omid Popalzai opened the scoring in the first half, before Mahboob Hanafi and Omid Rajabi added two more goals after the break to seal a comfortable victory for the defending champions.
The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League features 10 teams, with the competition being played on a home-and-away format in Kabul.
Today, Friday, Omar Zawak Loy Shindand will face Khurasan Faryab at 3:30 p.m., while Istiqlal Kabul will take on Toofan Herat in the third match of the day.
Ariana Khost and Umar Zawak Loy Shindand are among the new teams competing in this season’s tournament.
Fans across Afghanistan can watch today’s second and third matches live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League will run until November 21, with the participating teams battling for the championship title.
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