The Afghanistan national football team will play against host nation Maldives in the opening match of the ‘Jubilee Diamond’ international tournament on Sunday night.
Kabul 24: The four-nation tournament will be held in Malé, the capital of Maldives, from June 1 to 10, 2026. Afghanistan is scheduled to face Maldives, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the competition.
The event is being organized to celebrate the 75th anniversary of football in Maldives and also serves as an important preparatory competition for the 2026 SAFF Championship.
The Afghan national team traveled to Maldives two days ago and held their first training session on Sunday ahead of the tournament. According to the schedule, Afghanistan will face the host nation Maldives in their opening match, followed by encounters against Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stage.
All participating teams, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, have already arrived in Malé.
Originally, Sri Lanka was supposed to take part, but they withdrew at the last moment and were replaced by Afghanistan. Bangladesh had initially planned to send a different squad due to a scheduling conflict with their senior team’s tour of Europe, but ultimately decided to send their Olympic (U-23) team to the tournament.
The ‘Jubilee Diamond’ tournament marks the revival of Maldives’ tradition of hosting invitational international football tournaments after a long hiatus.
The country last organized a similar event, the ‘Golden Jubilee’ tournament, in 2000.This competition provides the Afghan team with a valuable opportunity to gain match fitness and test themselves against regional rivals ahead of the 2026 SAFF Championship.
Given the relatively competitive level of the participating teams, exciting and closely contested matches are expected throughout the tournament.
Participation in this event is considered an important step in the preparation of the Afghan national team. The results and performances in these matches will offer useful insights into the current level of Afghan football and its regional standing.
