The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) says a new football ground will be built in central Kunduz with money from FIFA.

The federation said an agreement has been signed between Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports and the AFF, under which 10 jeribs of land in central Kunduz will be allocated to the federation for 25 years for construction of the facility.

According to the AFF, funding provided by FIFA will be used for the project, with construction expected to begin in 2027.

The federation said the new ground will provide better facilities for athletes, allow the province to host football competitions, help identify young talent and support the development of football in Kunduz.

Sorkh Poshan Khafi maintained their perfect record in the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Ariana Khost in Kabul on Monday.

Reza Ghulami scored the only goal of the match with a header, securing all three points for the Herat-based side.

The win takes Sorkh Poshan Khafi to 18 points from six matches, keeping them at the top of the league table. They have won all six of their games and remain unbeaten.

Ariana Khost, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the campaign.

Sorkh Poshan Khafi also had the edge in several match statistics, recording five corners to Ariana Khost’s two and 55 percent of shots on target compared with 45 percent for their opponents.

All Afghanistan Champions League matches are being broadcast live and exclusively by Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN).

Afghanistan’s Asian Games men’s cricket quarter-final against India was abandoned without a toss on Monday after persistent rain left the outfield at Nisshin unplayable.

The match was called off 16 minutes before the scheduled toss, with no play possible because of the wet conditions.

India advanced to the semi-finals because of their higher seeding, which was determined by the ICC T20I team rankings.

India will face the winner of Tuesday’s quarter-final between Nepal and Sri Lanka in Thursday’s second semi-final.

Sri Lanka, one of the four seeded teams alongside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, will also advance if its quarter-final against Nepal is washed out.

Earlier on Monday, the first quarter-final between Hong Kong and Pakistan was also abandoned without a toss because of rain.

This outcome marked the second consecutive Asian Games in which Afghanistan’s men’s campaign has ended against India because of rain.

At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Afghanistan won the silver medal after the final against India was abandoned following 18.2 overs of India’s first innings. India, the higher-seeded team, were awarded the gold medal under the tournament rules.