Afghanistan names 23-player squad for 2025 CAFA Nations Cup

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.