The Afghanistan national futsal team secured qualification for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 in Indonesia with an emphatic 8-0 win against Myanmar in Yangon.
Kabul 24: The match, part of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, saw Afghanistan dominate Group H and claim the top spot.Afghanistan asserted their dominance in the first half, scoring six goals.
Akbar Kazemi opened the scoring in the early minutes, followed by goals from Reza Hosseinpour, Abbas Heydari, Hamid Reza Hosseini, and Mohammad Moradi.
Additionally, a Myanmar player scored an own goal.In the second half, Afghanistan added two more goals through Seyed Hossein Mousavi and Ali Amiri.
Myanmar attempted a comeback in the final minutes, creating several scoring opportunities, but Afghanistan’s goalkeeper, Ali Ahmad Mohsini, stood firm, preventing any goals.
Myanmar also earned a free-kick due to an Afghan foul but failed to convert it.
Despite Afghanistan’s attacking pressure, Myanmar’s multi-layered defense limited their scoring in the second half compared to the first.
Nonetheless, Afghanistan’s relentless attacks forced Myanmar into a fully defensive stance.
Afghanistan had previously defeated Maldives 10-1 in the qualifiers. In Group H, Afghanistan is joined by Myanmar and Maldives.
The AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 will be hosted by Indonesia. Afghanistan’s national futsal team is coached by Majid Mortezaei, an Iranian coach.
The qualifiers feature 31 teams competing across seven groups of four teams and one group of three.
Afghanistan’s commanding performances signal their potential as a strong contender in the upcoming tournament. Their qualification reflects the remarkable progress of futsal in the country.
