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Afghanistan national football team facts for kids

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Afghanistan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Lions of Khurasan
Association Afghanistan Football Federation
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation CAFA (Central Asia)
Head coach Usmon Toshev
Captain Zohib Islam Amiri
Most caps Zohib Islam Amiri (70)
Top scorer Faysal Shayesteh (10)
Home stadium Ghazi Stadium
FIFA code AFG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 147 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 122 (April 2014)
Lowest 204 (January 2003)
Elo ranking
Current 170 Increase 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest 83 (August 1941)
Lowest 210 (November 2010)
First international
 Afghanistan 0–0 Iran 
(Kabul, Afghanistan; 25 August 1941)
Biggest win
 Bhutan 1–8 Afghanistan 
(New Delhi, India; 7 December 2011)
Biggest defeat
 Turkmenistan 11–0 Afghanistan 
(Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; 19 November 2003)
CAFA Nations Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2023)
Best result Group stage (2023)
SAFF Championship
Appearances 7 (first in 2003)
Best result Champions (2013)
Medal record
Men's football
SAFF Championship
Gold 2013 Nepal Team
Silver 2011 India Team
Silver 2015 India Team

The Afghanistan national football team (Persian: تیم ملی فوتبال افغانستان Tīm-e Millī-e Fūtbāl-e Afghānestān) represents Afghanistan in international football. It is managed by the Afghanistan Football Federation. The team was started in 1922. They played their first international game against Iran in Kabul in 1941. Afghanistan joined FIFA in 1948 and the AFC in 1954. They were one of the first members of the AFC. Their home games are played at the Ghazi National Olympic Stadium in Kabul. In 2013, Afghanistan won the 2013 SAFF Championship and received the "FIFA Fair Play Award".

History of Afghan Football

Early Days of the Team

Afghanistan national football team in 1920s - in Kabul, Afghanistan
The Afghanistan national football team in the 1920s.

The Afghanistan Football Federation was formed in 1922. They joined FIFA in 1948 and were a founding member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.

The first football club in Afghanistan was Mahmoudiyeh F.C., started in 1934. This team traveled to India and played 18 games. They won 8, lost 9, and drew 1. The second club, Ariana Kabul F.C., was founded in 1941. This team visited Tehran, Iran, played 3 games, winning one and losing two.

Afghanistan's first FIFA international match was at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games. They played Luxembourg on July 26, 1948, and lost 6–0. After 1984, Afghanistan did not play international games for a long time. This was due to difficult times in the country. They returned to the international stage in 2002.

Returning to the Game (2001–2010)

After a long break, the Afghan national team started playing internationally again in 2002. They played South Korea in the Asian Games, losing 2–0. In the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup, they lost all their group matches. Later that year, they won against Kyrgyzstan in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification.

Afghanistan first joined the FIFA World Cup qualification in 2003. They played Turkmenistan for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. They lost both matches. In 2005, they took part in the 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup in Pakistan.

Afg-tkm-2003
A match between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in a FIFA World Cup qualification game in Kabul, 2003.

They also played in the first AFC Challenge Cup in 2006. They drew both matches against Chinese Taipei and the Philippines. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, they were knocked out by Syria. In the SAFF Championship 2008, Afghanistan drew with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They won against Kyrgyzstan in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualification.

World Cup Qualifiers (2014)

Afghanistan played in their third World Cup qualifying campaign. They played against Palestine. The first game was in Tajikistan for safety reasons, which they lost. The second game was in Palestine, which they drew. This meant they did not move to the next round.

Success at the SAFF Championship (2011)

Ahmad Faisal - football - B
Players celebrating after winning their 2011 SAFF Championship Semi-final against Nepal.

In the 2011 SAFF Championship, Afghanistan had their biggest win ever, beating Bhutan 8–1. Balal Arezou scored 4 goals in this match. They reached the semi-finals for the first time. In the semi-final, they beat Nepal 1–0 in extra time. This was Afghanistan's first win against Nepal. In the final, they lost 4–0 to India.

AFC Challenge Cup (2012)

Afghanistan beat Bhutan 5–0 in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification. They won the first game 3–0 and the second 2–0. In the next round, they lost to Nepal and North Korea. They beat Sri Lanka but did not qualify for the main tournament.

Afghan Premier League Starts

In 2012, the Afghanistan Football Federation started a new league. Eight teams compete against each other. Players for the league were found through a TV show called Maidan e Sabz ("Green Field"). This show was created by the Afghanistan Football Federation and MOBY Group. MOBY Group's TV channels broadcast the matches. Players were chosen by a jury and by TV viewers.

The creation of the league was seen as a way to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

SAFF Championship Winners (2013)

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Faqiryar
Ataie
Amiri (C)
Hadid
Faiz
Barekzay
Mashriqi
Marouf
Ahmadi
Arezou
2013 SAFF Championship Final starting lineup on 11 September 2013, in Dasarath Stadium (Kathmandu, Nepal).
Hamid Karimi
Hamidullah Karimi with the SAFF Championship trophy after their win against India.

On August 20, 2013, Afghanistan played Pakistan in a friendly match. This was the first time in 36 years and the first time at home in a decade. Afghanistan won 3–0.

Afghanistan was the highest-ranked team in the 2013 SAFF Championship. They started with a 3–0 win over Bhutan. They then beat Sri Lanka 3–1. In the semi-final, they again defeated Nepal 1–0. The goalkeeper, Mansur Faqiryar, saved two penalty kicks from Nepal. In the final, Afghanistan played India again. Afghanistan won 2–0, claiming their first SAFF Championship title. Mansur Faqiryar was named the best player of the tournament.

AFC Challenge Cup (2014) and FIFA Fair Play Award

In the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, Afghanistan reached the semi-finals. They lost 2–0 to Palestine. They finished in fourth place, their highest ever in this cup. On June 10, 2014, the Afghanistan Football Federation moved from the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) to the CAFF.

At the 2014 Ballon D'or ceremony, the Afghanistan Football Federation won the FIFA Fair Play Award. FIFA honored them for their great performance in football during a time of war and difficult situations in the country.

World Cup Qualifiers (2018)

Afghan national football team, 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, Azadi Stadium
The Afghan national team before their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Japan at Azadi Stadium.

In February 2015, German-Bosnian coach Slaven Skeledzic became the new coach. Afghanistan started the qualification with a 6–0 loss against Syria. They then won their first ever World Cup qualification match against Cambodia. They lost to Japan and Singapore.

In November 2015, Petar Segrt was appointed as the new head coach. With new players, Afghanistan won their second match against Cambodia 3–0.

SAFF Championship (2015)

This was Afghanistan's last time playing in the SAFF Championship. They were in a group with Maldives, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. Afghanistan won all their group matches. They beat Bangladesh 4–0, Bhutan 3–0, and Maldives 4–1.

In the semi-final, Afghanistan won 5–0 against Sri Lanka. In the final, they played against India. The match was a replay of the 2011 and 2013 finals. After 90 minutes, the score was 1–1. India then scored to win 2–1. Khaibar Amani was the top scorer of the tournament with 4 goals.

AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers (2019)

Afghanistan national football team supporter in Tehran
Afghan supporters watching their national team play against Japan during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification at Azadi Stadium, Tehran.

After the World Cup qualification, Afghanistan still had a chance to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. They won 2–1 against Singapore to get a spot in the third round.

After some friendly games, coach Petar Segrt left his job. Anoush Dastgir became the interim coach. In February 2017, Otto Pfister was signed as the new head coach. Afghanistan won a friendly game against Singapore 2–1. Their Asian Cup qualification match against Vietnam ended in a 1–1 draw.

However, Afghanistan then lost to Cambodia and Jordan. They drew 3–3 with Jordan. A 0–0 draw against Vietnam meant Afghanistan was eliminated from the qualification. They won their last match against Cambodia 2–1. After this, Otto Pfister left, and Anoush Dastgir became the new head coach.

Team Information

Home Stadium

Ahmad Faisal - football - D
The Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, also known as the Afghan Football Federation Stadium.

Most major football matches in Afghanistan are played at the Afghan Football Federation Stadium. It is also known as the Ghazi Stadium in Kabul. It was built in 1923. The stadium can hold 25,000 people. The first international match there was between Iran and Afghanistan in 1941, which ended in a 0–0 draw.

The stadium was renovated in 2011 with new artificial turf. It now hosts bigger sports events. FIFA has also helped the Afghanistan Football Federation to develop youth teams and women's football.

Team Kit

From 2002 to 2004, ASICS was the sponsor for the national team's kit. From 2005 to 2008, Adidas was the sponsor. Since 2009, the Danish sports brand Hummel has provided the team's sportswear. In 2015, Hummel released new kits that included a special hijab for the female players.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2009–2020 Hummel AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)
2020–2023 JAKO AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)
2024–present SIX5SIX AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)

Sponsors

The main sponsors for the national team are Alokozay, MOBY Group, Lemar, and TOLO.

Team Flag

The Afghanistan national team still uses the old flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This is the flag recognized by most countries. They do not use the white flag of the current government.

Rivalries

Afghanistan has a sports rivalry with Pakistan in many sports, including football. This rivalry is important to Afghan football fans because of the history and culture shared between the two countries.

Afghanistan and Pakistan used to have regular sports events. However, diplomatic ties were cut after 1979. This meant the teams did not play each other again until 2003. Pakistan has won more matches, with four wins, while Afghanistan has won two games.

Results and Upcoming Matches

Here are the recent match results and any future games scheduled for the team.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Coaching History

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
  •  ? (1941–1946)
  • Afghanistan Sardar Mohammad Farooq Khan Seraj (c.1949)
  •  ? (1950-1974)
  • Soviet Union Vladimir Salenko (1975–1976)
  • Soviet Union Sergei Salnikov (1976–1977)
  • Soviet Union Nikolai Yefimov (1977–1978)
  • Afghanistan Islam Gul[1] (1978–1979)
  • Afghanistan Sayed Ahmad Zia Muzafari[2] (1979–1981)
  • India Khwaja Aziz (1981–1987)
  • Soviet Union Gennadi Sarychev (1987–1988)
  • None (1988–2003)
  • Afghanistan Mir Ali Asghar Akbarzada (2003–2004)
  • Afghanistan Mohammad Yousef Kargar (2004–2005)
  • Germany Klaus Stärk (2005–2008)
  • Afghanistan Mohammad Yousef Kargar (2008–2014)
  • Germany Erich Rutemöller (2014–2015)
  • Iran Hossein Saleh (2015)
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina Slaven Skeledžić (2015)
  • Croatia Petar Šegrt (2015–2016)
  • Afghanistan Anoush Dastgir (2016–2017)
  • Germany Otto Pfister (2017–2018)
  • Afghanistan Anoush Dastgir (2018–2023)
  • Kuwait Abdullah Al Mutairi (2023)
  • England Ashley Westwood (2023–2024)
  • Uzbekistan Usmon Toshev (2024–present)

Players

Current Squad

These 23 players were chosen for the friendly matches in November 2024.

  • Caps and goals are updated as of June 11, 2024, after the match against Kuwait.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Ovays Azizi (1992-01-29) 29 January 1992 (age 33) 44 0 Sweden Ariana
1GK Faisal Hamidi (1997-03-16) 16 March 1997 (age 28) 10 0 Afghanistan Attack Energy
1GK Keyvan Mottaghian (2002-11-16) 16 November 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Cyprus APOP Polis

2DF Zohib Islam Amiri (1990-02-15) 15 February 1990 (age 35) 69 6 Canada Blainville
2DF Sharif Mukhammad (1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 35) 31 3 Afghanistan Abu Muslim
2DF Mahboob Hanifi (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 28) 12 0 Afghanistan Attack Energy
2DF Habibulla Askar (1999-08-09) 9 August 1999 (age 25) 5 0 North Macedonia Voska Sport
2DF Mohammad Naeem Rahimi (1994-04-04) 4 April 1994 (age 31) 4 0 Australia Kingston City
2DF Siar Sadat (2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 21) 3 0 Canada Blainville
2DF Yahyie Shirzai (2005-05-22) 22 May 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Denmark Ishøj

3MF Zelfy Nazary (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 30) 17 1 Afghanistan Abu Muslim
3MF Taufee Skandari (1999-04-02) 2 April 1999 (age 26) 11 0 Indonesia PSIS Semarang
3MF Maziar Kouhyar (1997-09-30) 30 September 1997 (age 27) 10 0 England Kidderminster Harriers
3MF Mosawer Ahadi (2000-03-08) 8 March 2000 (age 25) 9 0 Afghanistan Abu Muslim
3MF Rahmat Akbari (2000-06-22) 22 June 2000 (age 25) 7 1 Free agent
3MF Jamshed Asekzai (1997-10-09) 9 October 1997 (age 27) 6 0 Sweden Lunds
3MF Yama Sherzad (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24) 3 0 Switzerland Prishtina Bern
3MF Hakim Niazi (2006-08-14) 14 August 2006 (age 18) 1 0 Afghanistan Attack Energy
3MF Said Aref (2003-08-04) 4 August 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Russia Zenit Penza

4FW Balal Arezou (1988-12-28) 28 December 1988 (age 36) 28 9 Norway Grane Arendal
4FW Omid Musawi (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24) 11 0 Malaysia Selangor
4FW Hossein Zamani (2002-11-23) 23 November 2002 (age 22) 4 1 Italy Gioiese
4FW Moshtaq Ahmadi (1996-04-21) 21 April 1996 (age 29) 2 0 Free agent

Recent Call-ups

These players have been called up for the team in the last year and can still be chosen.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Golali Rahimi (1996-06-30) 30 June 1996 (age 29) 0 0 Afghanistan Abu Muslim v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
GK Faisal Saeed Khil (2005-02-19) 19 February 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Afghanistan Sarrafan v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024

DF Najim Haidary (1999-12-22) 22 December 1999 (age 25) 12 0 Netherlands VV Capelle v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
DF Amid Arezou (1996-02-17) 17 February 1996 (age 29) 1 0 Norway Vindbjart v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024

MF Omid Popalzay (1996-01-25) 25 January 1996 (age 29) 42 6 Indonesia PSPS Pekanbaru v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
MF Mustafa Azadzoy (1992-07-24) 24 July 1992 (age 32) 37 3 Germany Atlas Delmenhorst v.  India, 26 March 2024
MF Edriss Hushmand (1999-05-01) 1 May 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Sweden Ariana v.  India, 26 March 2024

FW Jabar Sharza (1994-04-06) 6 April 1994 (age 31) 17 4 Sweden Ariana v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Fareed Sadat (1998-11-20) 20 November 1998 (age 26) 9 0 Indonesia Persikabo v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Sayeed Reza Hussaini (1988-01-01) 1 January 1988 (age 37) 1 0 Australia Para Hills Knights v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Sayed Fatemi (1999-01-08) 8 January 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Australia Preston Lions v.  Kuwait, 11 June 2024
FW Amin Nabizada (2007-06-21) 21 June 2007 (age 18) 0 0 England Watford U18 v.  India, 21 March 2024WD
FW Ramien Safi (1999-10-17) 17 October 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Germany SV Rödinghausen v.  India, 21 March 2024WD

Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE = Preliminary squad
  • RET = Retired from the national team
  • SUS = Serving suspension
  • WD = Withdrew due to non-injury related reasons

Team Records

Players in bold are still active with Afghanistan.

Most Appearances

Zohib Islam Amiri
Zohib Islam Amiri has played the most games for Afghanistan, with 70 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Period
1 Zohib Islam Amiri 70 6 2005–present
2 Faysal Shayesteh 59 10 2014–present
3 Ovays Azizi 44 0 2015–present
4 Omid Popalzay 42 6 2015–present
5 Abassin Alikhil 41 0 2011–present
6 Mustafa Hadid 39 2 2009–2018
7 Djelaludin Sharityar 38 1 2007–2015
8 Mustafa Azadzoy 37 3 2013–present
9 Ahmad Hatifi 34 4 2011–2016
10 Zubayr Amiri 33 5 2011–present

Top Goalscorers

Faysal Shayesteh Running with the Ball - PHI vs AFG, September 12, 2023 (cropped)
Faysal Shayesteh is Afghanistan's top scorer with 10 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Period
1 Faysal Shayesteh 10 59 0.17 2014–present
2 Balal Arezou 9 28 0.32 2011–present
3 Khaibar Amani 7 21 0.33 2015–2019
4 Omid Popalzay 6 42 0.14 2015–present
Zohib Islam Amiri 6 70 0.09 2005–present
Sandjar Ahmadi 6 22 0.27 2011–2015
7 Hashmatullah Barakzai 5 28 0.18 2007–2014
Zubayr Amiri 5 33 0.15 2011–present
9 Jabar Sharza 4 17 0.24 2017–present
Amredin Sharifi 4 29 0.14 2013–present
Noraollah Amiri 4 31 0.13 2015–2021
Farshad Noor 4 33 0.12 2017–present
Ahmad Hatifi 4 34 0.12 2011–2016

Competitive Records

FIFA World Cup

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 11 June 2024, after the match against Kuwait.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Host Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1938 Not member of FIFA Not member of FIFA
1950 to 2002 Did not enter Did not enter
2006  Germany Did not qualify 1st round 2 0 0 2 0 13
2010  South Africa 1st round 2 0 0 2 1 5
2014  Brazil 1st round 2 0 1 1 1 3
2018  Russia 4th 8 3 0 5 8 24
2022  Qatar 4th 8 1 3 4 5 15
2026  Canada
 Mexico
 United States
4th 8 3 2 3 5 14
2030  Morocco
 Portugal
 Spain
To be determined To be determined
2034  Saudi Arabia
Total
!– 0/20 30 7 6 17 20 74

AFC Asian Cup

Year AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Withdrew Withdrew
South Korea 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Israel 1964 Withdrew Withdrew
Iran 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976 Did not qualify 4th 6 0 1 5 3 18
Kuwait 1980 3rd 4 0 1 3 4 11
Singapore 1984 5th 4 0 1 3 1 20
Qatar 1988 Did not enter Did not enter
Japan 1992
United Arab Emirates 1996
Lebanon 2000
China 2004 Did not qualify 3rd 2 1 0 1 2 5
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2011
Australia 2015 Did not qualify AFC Challenge Cup
United Arab Emirates 2019 3rd 6 1 3 2 7 10
Qatar 2023 3rd 11 1 4 6 9 21
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Totals 0/17 33 3 10 20 26 85

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks; correct as of 27 March 2018 after the match against Cambodia.

CAFA Championship

Year CAFA Nations Cup record
Round Pld W D L GF GA
Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan 2023 Group stage 2 0 0 2 1 9
Total 1/1 2 0 0 2 1 9

SAFF Championship (2003–2015)

SAFF Championship record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Pakistan 1993 Not a part of SAFF
Sri Lanka 1995
Nepal 1997
India 1999
Bangladesh 2003 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 0 6
Pakistan 2005 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 11
Maldives Sri Lanka 2008 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 5 7
Bangladesh 2009 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 7
India 2011 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 13 7
Nepal 2013 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 1
India 2015 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 0 1 17 3
2018 – onwards Not a part of SAFF
Totals 1 title 7/11 27 12 4 11 48 42

Afghanistan were members of the South Asian Football Federation between 2005 and 2015. As a result, they did not enter the competition between 1993 and 1999 and have not entered it since 2015.

Summer Olympics

Summer Olympics record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
France 1900 to Germany 1936 Did not enter
United Kingdom 1948 Preliminary round 1 0 0 1 0 6
Finland 1952 Did not enter
Australia 1956 to Italy 1960 Withdrew
Japan 1964 to South Korea 1988 Did not enter
Since 1992 See Afghanistan under-23 team
Total 1/20 1 0 0 1 0 6

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
India 1951 Fourth place 2 0 0 2 0 5
Philippines 1954 Group stage 2 0 0 2 4 12
Japan 1958 to Thailand 1998 Did not enter
Since 2002 See Afghanistan under-23 team
Totals 2/13 4 0 0 4 4 17

AFC Challenge Cup (2006–2014)

Year AFC Challenge Cup record Qualification record
Round Pld W D L GF GA Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 Group stage 3 0 2 1 3 5 Qualified automatically
India 2008 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 10 1st 2 1 1 0 1 0
Sri Lanka 2010 Withdrew Withdrew
Nepal 2012 Did not qualify 3rd 5 3 0 2 6 3
Maldives 2014 Fourth place 5 1 3 1 4 4 1st 3 2 1 0 3 1
Total 3/5 11 1 5 5 7 19
!10 6 2 2 10 4

Honours

Regional Titles

  • SAFF Championship
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2013
    • Med 2.png Runners-up (2): 2011, 2015
  • South Asian Games
    • Med 2.png Silver Medal (1): 2010

Summary of Awards

Competition 1 2 3 Total
SAFF Championship 1 2 0 3
South Asian Games 0 1 0 1
Total 1 3 0 4

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Afganistán para niños

  • Afghanistan women's national football team
  • Afghanistan national under-23 football team
  • Afghanistan national under-20 football team
  • Afghanistan national under-17 football team
  • Afghanistan national beach soccer team
  • Afghanistan national futsal team
  • Afghanistan Football Federation
  • Roshan Premier League
  • Football in Afghanistan
  • Sport in Afghanistan
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