Sport
Afghanistan names 23-player squad for 2025 CAFA Nations Cup
Afghanistan has been placed in Group B alongside Iran, India, and host nation Tajikistan.
The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has unveiled a 23-member national squad for the upcoming Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup, set to begin on Friday, August 29.
The lineup includes goalkeepers Faisal Ahmad Hamidi, Issa Azizi, and Keyvan Mottaqian. In defense, the squad features Sharif Mohammad, Elias Mansour, Mahboob Hanifi, Ruhollah Iqbalzada, Amid Arezo, Syed Arif Akbar, and Thomas Safari.
Midfield duties will be carried out by Zolfaqar Nazari, Rahmat Akbari, Yama Shirzad, Alireza Panahi, Mohammad Naeem Rahimi, and Syed Mortaza Fatemi. Leading the attack are forwards Tawafa Sikandari, Mosawer Ahadi, Qamaruddin Mazyar Kohyar, Hossain Zamani, Omid Mosavi, Habibollah Hotak, and Bilal Arezo.
Afghanistan has been placed in Group B alongside Iran, India, and host nation Tajikistan.
The national team will face Iran in its opening match on August 29, followed by Tajikistan on September 1 and India on September 4.
Group A, hosted in Uzbekistan, includes Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Oman.
The tournament will run until September 8.
In recent years, Afghanistan’s national football team has shown mixed results on the international stage.
While the team has struggled in World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, it has consistently remained competitive in regional tournaments.
Afghanistan’s most notable achievement came in 2013, when it won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, and since then the squad has worked to rebuild and integrate young talent.
Participation in CAFA tournaments has given the team valuable experience against stronger Central Asian sides and the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup is seen as an important test for the squad’s progress, offering a chance to measure themselves against some of Asia’s top-ranked teams.
Abu Muslim Farah defeated Khurasan Faryab 2-0 in the 25th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both teams pushed for an opening goal in the first half, but neither side managed to find the net, and the teams went into the break goalless.
Just two minutes into the second half, Abu Muslim Farah broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead.
Alireza Panahi later doubled Abu Muslim Farah’s advantage, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Farah side.
Abu Muslim Farah committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Khorasan Faryab committed seven fouls and received one yellow card.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Omar Zawak Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Toofan Herat in the 24th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Both sides created scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither team managed to find the net before the break.
Omar Zawak Herat broke the deadlock in the 86th minute when Shadab Malikzadah scored with a fine strike to give his side the lead.
Toofan Herat committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards, while Omar Zawak Herat recorded six fouls and received one yellow card and one red card.
Toofan Herat will face Aino Mina Kandahar on September 29, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Abu Muslim Farah on September 30.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Afghanistan are set to face India in the Asian Games cricket quarter-finals after Saturday’s rain-hit match between Nepal and Japan confirmed the Pool A standings.
The quarter-final between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on September 28 in Nisshin, Japan.
Nepal secured first place in the group after Japan’s chase was washed out. Nepal had scored 149 runs for four wickets in 15 overs after being sent in to bat, but persistent rain prevented Japan from starting its innings.
The result saw Nepal advance as Pool A winners, with Afghanistan joining them in the quarter-finals as the other qualifying team. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Japan have been eliminated from the tournament.
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