UNICEF has warned that 3.7 million children under the age of five in Afghanistan are at increased risk of malnutrition as worsening food and nutrition insecurity threatens to deepen the country’s child health crisis ahead of the annual peak wasting season.

In a new report released on Sunday, Too Little, Too Late: The Diet Crisis Facing Young Children in Afghanistan, UNICEF said child food and nutrition insecurity is one of the main drivers of undernutrition, urging immediate action to protect children’s diets before conditions deteriorate further.

For the first time, UNICEF has measured child malnutrition alongside the lived experience of food and nutrition insecurity among the same group of children across all 34 provinces. The assessment identified early warning signs such as reduced dietary diversity, skipped meals, children eating less than they need and going hungry.

The report comes as Afghanistan enters the peak wasting season between July and September. According to the latest Nutrition Cluster data, wasting has already worsened in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces compared with 2025, signalling an earlier and more severe crisis than expected.

Children under the age of two are the hardest hit, accounting for 83 percent of severe acute malnutrition cases and 77 percent of moderate acute malnutrition cases.

“Young children in Afghanistan are being pushed closer to malnutrition before the peak season has even begun,” said UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale.

“This new evidence gives us an opportunity to act before children reach the point of severe malnutrition. When families begin reducing meals or cutting back on nutritious foods, it is not only a sign of hardship. It is a warning that a child may soon become dangerously wasted. Treatment saves lives, but we must also invest in prevention, starting with the diets of the youngest children and pregnant women.”

UNICEF said worsening malnutrition is being driven not only by poor diets and increasing food insecurity but also by disease outbreaks, low immunisation coverage, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as growing funding and supply shortages.

The agency warned that children living in severely food-insecure households are up to six times more likely to suffer from wasting during peak malnutrition periods.

Wasting is a severe and potentially life-threatening form of malnutrition in which a child becomes dangerously thin for their height, often due to inadequate food intake, illness or a combination of both.

UNICEF is calling for urgent investment to expand preventive nutrition programmes, including its First Foods Initiative for children aged six to 23 months, while strengthening health, nutrition, water, sanitation, education and social protection services.

With the peak wasting season fast approaching, UNICEF said the window to prevent more children from becoming severely malnourished is rapidly closing and called for urgent, flexible funding to help reach vulnerable families before food insecurity turns into a life-threatening emergency.

France striker Kylian Mbappe and Argentina captain Lionel Messi remain locked at the top of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings with eight goals each as the tournament heads into the semi-finals.

Even though Argentina secured a 3-1 quarter-final victory over Switzerland on Sunday to help the defending champions reach the last four, Mbappe retained first place in the standings by virtue of the tournament’s tiebreak criteria.

The FIFA Golden Boot is awarded to the tournament’s leading scorer. If two or more players finish level on goals, the first tiebreaker is assists, followed by the fewest minutes played. Mbappe has provided three assists in 563 minutes, while Messi has two assists in 608 minutes, giving the France forward the advantage.

Norway’s Erling Haaland sits third with seven goals after his country’s quarter-final exit to England, ending his chances of challenging for the award.

England have two players still in contention, with midfielder Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane both on six goals and one assist. Bellingham is ranked fourth ahead of Kane after playing fewer minutes during the tournament.

With France, Argentina and England all through to the semi-finals, four of the top five players in the Golden Boot race will have at least one more opportunity to add to their goal tallies.

France face Spain in the first semi-final on Tuesday, July 14, while England take on defending champions Argentina on Wednesday, July 15.

The race for the Golden Boot is expected to go down to the wire, with every goal in the remaining matches potentially deciding who finishes as the tournament’s leading scorer.

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to watch these exciting matches live and exclusively on Ariana Radio and Television Network. For updated schedules follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages. 

The FIFA World Cup semi-final line-up has been confirmed, with Argentina securing the final place in the last four after defeating Switzerland 3-1 in their quarter-final on Sunday.

The defending champions joined France, Spain and England in the semi-finals after a clinical display ended Switzerland’s hopes of a first World Cup semi-final appearance.

France were the first team to book their place in the final four after a 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday.

Spain then secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Belgium, with Mikel Merino scoring a late winner to set up a blockbuster semi-final against France.

England completed the semi-final line-up after edging Norway to reach the last four of the tournament for the first time since the 2018 World Cup.

The two semi-finals will be played over consecutive days, with France taking on Spain on Tuesday, July 14, before England face defending champions Argentina on Wednesday, July 15.

Semi-final fixtures:

• Tuesday, July 14: France vs Spain

• Wednesday, July 15: England vs Argentina

The winners of the two matches will advance to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, while the losing teams will contest the third-place play-off.

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to watch these exciting matches live and exclusively on Ariana Radio and Television Network. For updated schedules follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages.