Afghanistan will return to international one-day cricket next week when they take on Ireland in a five-match ODI series, with the opening match scheduled for August 5 at Bready Cricket Club in Northern Ireland. The series will run through August 15 and forms an important part of both teams’ preparations for future ICC competitions.

The first two matches will be played at Bready on August 5 and 7 before the series moves to Stormont in Belfast for the remaining three ODIs on August 10, 12 and 15.

Afghanistan will be led by newly appointed ODI and Test captain Rahmat Shah, with explosive wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz serving as vice-captain. The squad features a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talent as the team looks to continue its strong record against Ireland in the 50-over format.

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has not been included as Afghanistan continues planning for the future, while left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi returns to strengthen the pace attack. Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan is expected to play a key role alongside rising spinner AM Ghazanfar.

Afghanistan squad:

Rahmat Shah (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (vice-captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Nangyal Kharotai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Saleem Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.

Reserve players: Qais Ahmad, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami and Bashir Ahmad.

Ireland, meanwhile, has named an injury-hit squad for the opening three matches of the series, with several first-choice players unavailable. The hosts are expected to confirm their squad for the final two ODIs closer to the matches, depending on player fitness.

The five-match series is expected to provide valuable match practice for both teams as they continue preparations for upcoming international commitments and the ICC qualification pathway.

Series schedule:

• August 5: 1st ODI – Bready Cricket Club
• August 7: 2nd ODI – Bready Cricket Club
• August 10: 3rd ODI – Stormont, Belfast
• August 12: 4th ODI – Stormont, Belfast
• August 14: 5th ODI – Stormont, Belfast

Watch the series

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) to watch the series live on Ariana Television. 

Fans are also encouraged to follow Ariana Television, Ariana Sport and Ariana News’ social media pages for updated schedules, news and other exciting information. 

FIFA has released new figures highlighting the enormous logistical and operational effort behind the FIFA World Cup 2026, describing the tournament as the biggest sporting event in history.

The expanded 48-team tournament was staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States over 39 days, featuring 104 matches in 16 Host Cities.

A total of 1,248 players competed before a cumulative stadium attendance of more than 6.8 million spectators.

According to FIFA, delivering the tournament required operations on an unprecedented scale, with 645 official sites across North America and nearly 300,000 accredited personnel supporting every aspect of the competition.

More than 43,000 volunteers, 73,700 accredited security personnel and 2,500 FIFA workforce members from 104 nationalities helped ensure the tournament ran smoothly.

Security operations involved more than one million shifts, while accreditation systems processed over five million scans across tournament venues.

The tournament also presented a major logistical challenge, with teams and officials travelling across three countries.

FIFA recorded 11,337 team movements during the competition, while approximately 300,000 square metres of specially grown sod were used for stadium pitches and training facilities.

The media operation was equally extensive. The International Broadcast Centre in Dallas served as the hub for global television coverage, with production teams using around 5,000 cameras and creating more than 24,000 pieces of content to broadcast every match to audiences worldwide.

FIFA also released figures illustrating the scale of fan services and stadium operations. During the tournament, supporters purchased nearly 675,000 hot dogs, more than 4.6 million soft drinks and bottled waters inside stadiums.

Beyond the match venues, FIFA Fan Festivals attracted more than nine million visitors across North America, while the organisation’s “Know Before You Go” communications programme sent more than 2,300 WhatsApp messages and 7.7 million emails to help fans navigate the tournament.

FIFA said the newly published statistics provide an insight into the scale and complexity of organising the expanded World Cup, noting that the figures are preliminary and that additional facts and operational data will be added to its World Cup Organisation resources in the coming months.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has called on Pakistan to immediately halt the forced return of Afghan refugees and introduce humanitarian exemptions for those in need of international protection, warning that ongoing deportations are worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation.

In a statement released on Tuesday, MSF said Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) has significantly restricted Afghan refugees’ access to healthcare, with many avoiding hospitals and clinics due to fears of arrest and deportation.

The medical charity said refugees have reported delaying or foregoing essential treatment because they fear documentation checks at healthcare facilities, leading to preventable health complications,

including severe child malnutrition and pregnancy-related emergencies.

MSF cited the case of an Afghan refugee identified as Najib, who said he was arrested during a police raid despite carrying a valid Proof of Registration (PoR) card. According to the organization, the incident caused severe emotional distress for his pregnant wife, who later suffered a miscarriage after delaying medical treatment because the family feared further arrests.

The organization also warned that the deportation campaign has disrupted refugees’ livelihoods, leaving many families without income while living under constant uncertainty and the threat of removal.

MSF said its mobile clinics in Quetta, Balochistan, recorded alarming levels of acute malnutrition among Afghan refugee children earlier this year. Of the children screened, 33.3 percent were found to be suffering from global acute malnutrition, including 7.6 percent with severe acute malnutrition and 25.7 percent with moderate acute malnutrition. 

Nearly 90 percent of the malnourished patients treated were Afghan refugees, the majority of them women and children.

Pakistan launched the IFRP in November 2023, initially targeting undocumented Afghan nationals before expanding the policy to include holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) and Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. On July 10, authorities ordered the immediate arrest and accelerated deportation of Afghan nationals without valid visas.

Quoting figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), MSF said more than 2.5 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan under the repatriation plan, many of them involuntarily. 

The organization added that the United Nations has identified more than 70,000 Afghan refugees who could face serious risks if returned to Afghanistan.

MSF warned that Afghanistan’s healthcare system is struggling to cope with the return of an estimated six million Afghans from Pakistan and Iran between 2023 and 2026. Reduced international aid, economic hardship and limited healthcare services are placing additional strain on returnees and host communities, it said.

Assessments conducted by MSF in informal returnee settlements in Kandahar found inadequate access to healthcare, poor shelter conditions, widespread undernutrition and insufficient sanitation, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Marko den Hartogh, MSF’s Head of Mission in Pakistan, urged Islamabad to uphold its long-standing support for Afghan refugees by establishing formal protection mechanisms for those most at risk.

“This must include women and girls, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, those needing urgent or long-term medical care, refugees awaiting resettlement, and others at heightened risk of marginalization, discrimination, or persecution,” he said.

MSF also called on all countries hosting Afghan refugees to suspend involuntary returns and ensure that any repatriation is voluntary, safe, dignified and carried out in accordance with international humanitarian obligations.