Afghanistan ends continental futsal championship with dominant win over New Zealand

Afghanistan’s national futsal team wrapped up its campaign at the Continental Futsal Championship with an emphatic 6-1 victory over New Zealand in its fourth and final match of the tournament.

The match, played on Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand, marked Afghanistan’s first and only win of the competition. Omid Qanbari scored twice, while Javad Haidari, Mehran Gholami and other teammates added to the tally in one of Afghanistan’s strongest performances of the tournament.

Afghanistan entered the match after defeats to Thailand and Vietnam and a hard-fought draw against Russia. The team finished the tournament with one win, one draw and two defeats.

The Continental Futsal Championship, held in Bangkok from August 1 to 6, featured five national teams competing in a round-robin format.

Although Afghanistan did not advance further in the tournament, the competition provided valuable experience against higher-ranked opponents and served as an important step in the team’s preparations for upcoming international competitions.

In recent years, Afghanistan has continued to make steady progress in futsal, with the national team focusing on strengthening its squad, improving its international competitiveness and enhancing its presence in Asian futsal.