The Afghanistan national cricket team arrived in the Indian city of Bengaluru on Friday evening to compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Prior to the start of the tournament, the Afghan national cricket team will play two warm-up matches in Bengaluru on February 2 and 4, against Scotland and the West Indies, respectively.

Afghanistan will open their T20 World Cup campaign on February 9 in Chennai, where they are scheduled to face New Zealand.

Afghanistan’s under-19 cricket team secured a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 U19 World Cup on Friday after a commanding 191-run victory over Ireland.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted a formidable total of 315 for 7 in their allotted 50 overs. The innings was led by a sensational century from Faisal Shinwari, who scored 163 runs, while Mahboob Khan supported with 89 runs.

In reply, Ireland struggled against Afghanistan’s bowling attack and were bowled out for 124 runs in the 41st over, falling well short of the target.

The Afghan bowlers dominated the innings, with Aqeel Khan and Aziz Khan each claiming 3 wickets, while Nusrat Nooristani and Rohullah Arab took one wicket apiece.

With the win, Afghanistan became the second team after Australia to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing tournament, reinforcing their status as one of the leading contenders for the title.

Afghanistan’s national futsal team delivered a commanding performance in the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup, defeating Malaysia 7–0 in their second group-stage match.

The Lions of Khorasan took control early, scoring four goals in the first half. Sayed Hussain Mousavi, Farzad Mahmoodi, Sayed Mujtaba Hosseini, and Mohammad Moradi each found the net, giving Afghanistan a decisive lead heading into the break.

In the second half, the team continued their dominance. Reza Hosseinpour scored the fifth goal, followed by an extraordinary strike from goalkeeper Mohammad Javad Safari, who netted the sixth. Omid Qanbari completed the scoring with the seventh goal.

Malaysia was unable to respond throughout the match and failed to score.

Afghanistan had already started the tournament strongly, beating Saudi Arabia 3–0 in their opening match.

The Afghan team will now face Iran in their final group-stage match next Sunday.

The 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup is being held in Jakarta, Indonesia, featuring 16 teams competing for the title.

Live Coverage

Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) has secured exclusive live broadcasting rights for the tournament and will air every match live. Stay tuned by following Ariana News and Ariana TV on social media for schedules and updates.