Afghanistan’s national cricket team will face Scotland today (Monday) in their first warm-up match ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has confirmed.

The team, which arrived in India two days ago, will be decked out in their new kit. According to ACB,  “it’s New threads; New Colors; but Same pride”.

The match meanwhile will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Ground 1, in Bengaluru, India, with the first ball scheduled for 2:00 pm local time, according to a statement published on the ACB’s official Facebook page.

As part of their preparations for the global tournament, the Afghan squad is also scheduled to play a second practice match on February 4 at the same venue.

The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will officially begin on February 7, with Pakistan taking on the Netherlands in the opening match in Colombo.

Afghanistan will start their campaign a day later, facing New Zealand on February 8 in Chennai.

The group stage of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 wrapped up on Sunday, setting the stage for a highly anticipated knockout phase that begins on Tuesday, February 3, with four blockbuster quarter-final clashes lined up.

Following an action-packed group stage, the final eight teams have been confirmed, with the quarter-finals promising intense competition as Asia’s top futsal nations battle for a place in the semi-finals.

Hosts Indonesia, who topped Group A ahead of Iraq after a hard-fought stalemate on Friday, will face Vietnam in the final quarter-final of the day. Indonesia will be aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history, while Vietnam are chasing a return to the last four for the first time since the 2016 edition.

Iraq will take on Thailand, who finished runners-up in the 2024 tournament. The matchup is expected to be fiercely contested, with both sides showing strong form during the group stage.

Four-time champions Japan secured top spot in Group C after coming from behind to defeat Uzbekistan on Sunday. Their reward is a quarter-final meeting with Afghanistan, who finished runners-up in Group D.

Afghanistan impressed despite a 5-2 defeat to Iran, showing resilience against the defending champions.

Defending champions Iran, chasing a remarkable 14th Asian title, will meet Uzbekistan. Iran enter the knockout stage full of confidence after winning all three of their group matches in an impressive campaign so far.

All quarter-final matches will take place in Jakarta on Tuesday, with fans across the region able to follow the action live.

ATN holds the official broadcast rights for the tournament, bringing comprehensive coverage of the knockout stage to viewers across Afghanistan.

Fans in Afghanistan are encouraged to follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for updated broadcast details.

Defending champions Iran overcame a determined Afghanistan side to secure top spot in Group D of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026, claiming a 5–2 victory on Sunday.

The result saw Iran finish the group stage with a perfect nine points, setting up a quarter-final clash with Uzbekistan, while Afghanistan, who impressed throughout the group phase, will face Japan in the last eight.

With both teams aware of each other’s strengths, the match began cautiously, as neither Iran goalkeeper Bagher Mohammadi nor Afghanistan’s Javad Safari was tested in the opening minutes. The first real effort on target came in the eighth minute when Mohammadhossein Derakshani struck from distance, forcing Safari into a sharp save.

Iran continued to probe, with Mohammadi reacting well to catch a powerful shot from Sayed Mortaza Hussaini in the 11th minute. Moments later, Behrooz Azimi attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick at the other end, narrowly missing the target.

The breakthrough arrived in the 13th minute when Safari parried Amirhossein Gholami’s shot into the path of Azimi, who finished from close range to give Iran the lead. The defending champions nearly doubled their advantage three minutes later, but Hossein Tayebi’s audacious back-heeled effort struck the crossbar.

Afghanistan were fortunate not to concede early in the second half after a misplaced pass from Safari fell straight to Mahdi Karimi, who sent his shot wide with the goal at his mercy. At the other end, Mohammadi produced a string of outstanding saves, denying Reza Hosseinpoor from a free kick and pushing away another threatening effort from Hussaini.

As Afghanistan pushed forward in search of an equaliser, Iran exploited the spaces left behind. In the 29th minute, Gholami picked out Tayebi on the counter-attack, with the striker calmly slotting the ball home.

Iran extended their lead a minute later after Safari fouled Tayebi inside the semi-circle, with a penalty awarded following Video Support review. Tayebi made no mistake from the spot.

Afghanistan refused to back down and pulled a goal back in the 32nd minute through Hosseinpoor. A minute later, a long-range effort from Safari — deflected off Gholami — reduced the deficit further and set up a tense closing period.

However, Iran’s experience proved decisive. As Afghanistan committed numbers forward, they were caught out on the counter once more, with Masoud Yousef scoring in the 36th minute before Karimi sealed the result late on to confirm a 5–2 victory.

Despite the defeat, Afghanistan’s spirited display underlined their emergence as a competitive force in Asian futsal, having already secured qualification for the knockout stage with commanding wins earlier in the tournament.

Upcoming Matches – Tuesday, 3 February

Quarter-final action gets underway on Tuesday, with Iran facing Uzbekistan and Afghanistan taking on Japan as the race for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup title intensifies.

All matches of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 are being broadcast live on Ariana Television across Afghanistan.