The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) has been officially confirmed, with the country’s premier domestic football competition scheduled to begin on August 19 in Kabul.

Organizers have announced that the first half of the tournament will run from August 19 to September 17, while the second half will be played from October 10 to November 9. The venue for the second phase has not yet been finalized and will be announced at a later date.

Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) will once again broadcast all matches live, and exclusively, across Afghanistan, ensuring football fans nationwide can follow every moment of the competition.

The Afghanistan Champions League has become the country’s flagship domestic football tournament, bringing together leading clubs from across the provinces and providing a platform for emerging talent to compete at the highest national level.

The upcoming season follows a successful fifth edition of the league, which concluded in December 2025 with Abu Muslim Farah crowned champions for a second consecutive year. The Farah-based club completed a perfect campaign, winning all nine of their matches to secure the title and reinforce their status as one of Afghanistan’s strongest football teams.

Season 5 featured 10 clubs from around the country and attracted strong interest from supporters, aided by ATN’s extensive live coverage. The broadcasts allowed fans from all provinces to follow the action and helped further raise the profile of domestic football.

ATN secured exclusive rights in 2025 to produce and broadcast the fifth, sixth and seventh seasons of the Afghanistan Champions League under an agreement with the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF). The network has since played a key role in expanding access to Afghan football through nationwide television, radio and digital coverage.

The Afghanistan Champions League is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious sporting competitions and plays an important role in developing local talent, promoting regional rivalries and strengthening the growth of football across Afghanistan.

Further details, including participating teams, fixtures and the venue for the second half of the season, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Football fans are encouraged to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ social media pages for news, updates and schedules in the lead up to the event.

India national cricket team secured a seven-wicket victory over the Afghanistan national cricket team in the opening match of the ODI series played on Saturday in Dharamsala.

After winning the toss, India national cricket team opted to bowl first in the rain-affected contest, which was revised from 50 overs to 25 overs.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted 194 runs in 24.5 overs and set a 195-run target for India.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the standout performer for Afghanistan, producing a stunning knock of 102 runs off just 51 balls, smashing 8 fours and 8 sixes, but his effort was not enough to prevent India from taking the win in the series opener.

Afghanistan A defeated India A by four runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the opening match of the Tri-Nation A Series in Sri Lanka on Thursday.

The one-day tournament, which features Afghanistan A, India A and Sri Lanka A, got underway earlier this week, with Afghanistan A making a winning start in a match ultimately decided by rain interruptions.

Chasing India A’s target, Afghanistan A were 177 for 2 in 25.5 overs when rain forced players from the field for the final time. At that stage, Afghanistan A were ahead of the DLS par score, giving them a four-run victory when officials called off the match.

The result capped a strong batting performance from Afghanistan A, who recovered from the early loss of two wickets to build a solid partnership between Bahir Shah and Imran. The pair steadily kept the chase on track, rotating the strike effectively while finding timely boundaries.

Imran brought up a well-crafted half-century during the innings, reaching the milestone with a boundary through point. Bahir Shah also reached his fifty shortly before rain halted play, sweeping Vipraj Nigam for four to complete the landmark.

The partnership accelerated as conditions improved. Imran struck a six over square leg off Arshad, while Bahir mixed conventional and reverse sweeps to keep the scoreboard moving. Afghanistan A were 177/2 and three runs ahead of the DLS par score when the weather intervened again.

Despite hopes of a resumption, persistent rain prevented any further play, handing Afghanistan A victory and valuable points in the tournament standings.

The Tri-Nation A Series continues in Sri Lanka with all three sides using the competition to provide international exposure to some of their most promising emerging players.

Named Player of the Match, Afghanistan A captain Imran credited the team’s belief and positive approach.

“It was our first match, and we played natural cricket. Believed in myself and the team for the run chase,” he said.

India A captain Tilak Varma admitted that the rain-affected conditions and DLS calculations ultimately worked against his side.

“We batted well. But unfortunately, the way DLS works… Afghanistan A batted well but at the same time we thought chasing 294 in 38 overs was going to be tough. Bowling isn’t a concern, but we’ll go back to the drawing board. Our goal is to win the next couple of games and make the final,” Tilak said.