Afghanistan to play in Diamond Jubilee Tournament opener against Maldives

Afghanistan’s national football team will begin its campaign in the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament on Monday night with a match against hosts Maldives.

The four-nation competition, which runs from June 1 to June 10, features Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The tournament has been organized to celebrate the 75th anniversary of football in the Maldives and will also serve as preparation for the 2026 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

The Afghan squad arrived in the Maldives earlier this week and held its first training session on Sunday as preparations continued for the opening fixture.

Afghanistan will face the host nation in its first match before taking on Pakistan and Bangladesh in the remaining group-stage encounters.

All participating teams, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have now arrived in the Maldives ahead of the tournament’s opening day.

The competition was originally expected to include Sri Lanka, but the team later withdrew and was replaced by Afghanistan. Bangladesh, which had initially considered fielding a split senior squad due to a concurrent tour of Europe, ultimately entered its Olympic team for the event.

The tournament revives a tradition of international invitational competitions hosted by the Maldives, including the Maldives Football Golden Jubilee Invitational Tournament held in 2000.