With just over a month to go, the world is gearing up for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, set to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 across northern Italy.  

Ariana Television Network (ATN) will bring the excitement live and free to Afghan viewers, offering full coverage of the Games’ opening ceremony, daily competitions, and highlights. 

The 2026 Games are historic, being the first Winter Olympics to span multiple cities and regions. The opening ceremony will take place in Milan, Italy’s fashion and business capital, while the alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, a former host of the 1956 Winter Olympics, will host many mountain-based competitions.  

Other venues include Val di Fiemme, Anterselva, Livigno, and Bormio, providing world-class facilities for athletes and spectacular backdrops for viewers. 

Athletes from over 90 countries, totaling more than 2,900 competitors, will take part in all traditional winter sports. Events include alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, curling, and more, promising a fortnight of high-speed action, precision skill, and fierce international competition. 

The Milano Cortina Games are also being hailed as one of the most sustainable Winter Olympics in history, with organizers prioritizing the use of existing venues and environmentally friendly infrastructure — a theme that resonates with the Olympic spirit of unity and excellence. 

With the countdown now underway, Afghan sports fans can look forward to two weeks of Olympic drama and historic moments, all broadcast live by Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN). From thrilling downhill races to dazzling figure skating performances, ATN ensures viewers will not miss a single moment as the world’s best winter athletes compete for glory. 

Fans can stay fully up to date on all live sporting coverage, including the Winter Games, by following Ariana News and Ariana Television’s official social media platforms, where match schedules, kick-off times, broadcast dates and the latest updates will be shared regularly. 

Viewers are encouraged to follow these pages to ensure they don’t miss a moment of the world-class sporting action being brought to screens across Afghanistan. 

MI Emirates secured a place in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 final with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. The win sets up a title clash against Desert Vipers on Sunday in Dubai.

After restricting the Knight Riders to 120 for 8, MI Emirates chased down the target comfortably, led by an unbeaten partnership between Tom Banton and Shakib Al Hasan. Allah Ghazanfar impressed with figures of 3 for 24, while Alishan Sharafu top-scored for Abu Dhabi with an unbeaten 50.

MI Emirates made a cautious start to the chase, losing Andre Fletcher early and reaching 26 for 1 at the end of the powerplay as Jason Holder and Sunil Narine applied pressure.

Tom Banton and Muhammad Waseem steadied the innings before Narine dismissed Waseem for 10. Shakib then joined Banton and swung momentum with a 17-run over off Liam Livingstone, bringing up a rapid 50-run stand.

Banton reached his half-century off 49 balls in the 15th over and remained unbeaten on 62. Although Shakib fell for 38, MI Emirates completed the chase with 23 balls to spare.

Earlier, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders struggled for fluency after Michael Pepper was run out in the second over. Brandon McMullen and Liam Livingstone fell cheaply as MI Emirates dominated the powerplay.

Alex Hales and Alishan Sharafu added 47 runs to stabilise the innings, but Ghazanfar removed Hales late in the partnership and later dismissed Jason Holder and Sunil Narine in consecutive deliveries.

Sharafu brought up his half-century off the final ball as the Knight Riders finished on 120 for 8.

Player of the Match Shakib Al Hasan credited the bowlers for setting up the win, while Abu Dhabi captain Jason Holder admitted his side failed to gain momentum on a difficult surface.

Fans across Afghanistan can watch the final between MI Emirates and Desert Vipers from 7pm on Sunday.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to make history not only for its expanded format, but also for a significant increase in prize money, underlining FIFA’s push to make the tournament the most lucrative in football history. 

FIFA has confirmed that prize money for the 2026 tournament will rise by around 50 percent compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.  

The increase reflects the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams, the rise in global broadcasting revenues, and growing commercial partnerships linked to the competition. 

The FIFA Council recently approved a record-breaking financial contribution of $727 million for next year’s World Cup. The biggest share – $655 million, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous edition – will be paid out as prize money among the 48 participating teams. 

The winners will get $50 million; runners-up $33 million; 3rd place $29 million; 4th place $27 million; 5th to 8th place $19 million; 9th to 16th place $15 million. 

For 17th to 32nd place prize money will be $11 million; and lastly 33rd to 48th place will take home $9 million. 

In addition, each qualified team will receive $1.5 million to cover preparation costs. This means that all Participating Member Associations are guaranteed at least $10.5 million each for their participation in next year’s tournament. 

The World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and will feature a record 104 matches across 16 host cities.  

With more teams participating than ever before, FIFA says the increased prize pool is designed to ensure that all qualifying nations benefit financially — not just the teams that progress to the later stages. 

Football officials say the boost in prize money will be especially meaningful for developing football nations, providing additional funding that can be reinvested into grassroots development, youth programs and domestic leagues. 

“The World Cup is not only about competition, but also about global football development,” FIFA officials have said, noting that even teams eliminated in the group stage will receive higher financial rewards than in previous editions. 

ATN to broadcast World Cup 2026 live and exclusively in Afghanistan 

As excitement builds around the financial and sporting scale of the tournament, Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) has made sure football fans across the country will not miss out on all the action after securing the exclusive broadcast rights for the event in Afghanistan. 

Under the agreement, Ariana Television will deliver live coverage of matches ensuring fans across Afghanistan can follow every moment of the world’s biggest football event. 

The exclusive rights deal further strengthens ATN’s growing reputation as Afghanistan’s leading broadcaster of major international sporting events and with football remaining the most popular sport in the country, the World Cup coverage is expected to draw massive nationwide audiences. 

An historic tournament on and off the pitch 

The 2026 World Cup’s expanded format, record prize money and global reach mark a turning point for international football. Analysts say the increased financial rewards will raise competitiveness across the tournament, as more teams arrive with stronger preparation and higher stakes. 

For Afghan fans, the combination of an historic World Cup and free, exclusive access on Ariana Television ensures the tournament will be one of the most widely watched sporting events in the country’s history. 

ATN has said broadcast schedules, match times and programming details will be announced closer to kickoff, allowing viewers to plan ahead for what promises to be a landmark football spectacle. 

However, fans can stay fully up to date on all live sporting coverage by following Ariana News and Ariana Television’s official social media platforms, where match schedules, kick-off times, broadcast dates and the latest updates will be shared regularly. 

Viewers are encouraged to follow these pages to ensure they don’t miss a moment of the world-class sporting action being brought to screens across Afghanistan.