Afghanistan national football team

The Afghanistan national football team ; Dari: (تیم ملی فوتبال افغانستان) is the national football team of Afghanistan and is controlled by the Afghanistan Football Federation. Founded in 1922, they played their first international game against Iran in Kabul, 1941. Afghanistan then joined FIFA in 1948 and the AFC in 1954, as one of the founding members. They play their home games at the Ghazi National Olympic Stadium in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. In 2013, Afghanistan won the 2013 SAFF Championship and earned the "FIFA Fair Play Award".[2]

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Afghanistan women's national football team.

Afghanistan
افغانستان
Nickname(s)The Lions Of Khorasan
AssociationAFF
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationCAFA (Central Asia)
Head coachAnoush Dastgir
CaptainFarshad Noor
Most capsZohib Islam Amiri (52)
Top scorerBalal Arezou (9)
Home stadiumGhazi Stadium/ Pamir Stadium
FIFA codeAFG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 149 (16 July 2020)[1]
Highest122 (April 2014)
Lowest204 (January 2003)
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)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances3 (first in 2006)
Best result4th place (2014)
SAFF Championship
Appearances7 (first in 2003)
Best resultChampions (2013)

History

Early history
Afghanistan national football team in the 1920s

Formed in 1922 and affiliated to FIFA since 1948, the Afghanistan Football Federation was one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.[3]

The first football club established in the country, Mahmoudiyeh F.C., was founded in 1934. Three years later the team traveled to India and took part in 18 games of which they won 8, lost 9 and drew 1. The second football club founded was Ariana Kabul F.C. which was established in 1941. This team traveled to Tehran, Iran upon invitation, played 3 games, winning one game and losing two.

Afghanistan's only appearance and first FIFA international match was at the Olympic Games football tournament in the 1948 Summer Olympic Games when they played Luxembourg on 26 July 1948 and lost 6–0. Prior to 2002, Afghanistan was last seen on the international stage during the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification, with its last match lost 6–1 against Jordan on 20 September 1984. Afghanistan played no international games from 1984 to 2002, due to the latter years of the Soviet–Afghan War, civil war in Afghanistan (1992–1996), and the Taliban regime.

2001–2010

Following the demise of the Taliban regime, the Afghan national team eventually returned to the international arena in 2002, when they played South Korea in the Asian Games, losing 2–0. Afghanistan participated in their first international tournament in the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup where they lost all three group stage matches to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Later in the same year, Afghanistan took part in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification where they won against Kyrgyzstan but lost to Nepal and failed to make it to the next round. Afghanistan started its FIFA World Cup campaign for the first time in 2003 where they played Turkmenistan in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. They lost both matches in aggregate of 13–0. This was the first time Afghanistan participated in FIFA World Cup qualification though they had been affiliated since 1948. The team went to Pakistan to take part in the 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup, which they lost to the Maldives.

Match scene between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in a FIFA World Cup qualification match in Kabul, 2003.

They also participated in the first edition of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2006, for which they drew both matches with Chinese Taipei and the Philippines with Afghan footballers Hafizullah Qadami and Sayed Maqsood Hashemi both scoring to produce a drawn result, and on their second world cup campaign in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification were eliminated by Syria. In the SAFF Championship 2008 Afghanistan lost to Bhutan but drew with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Afghanistan entered the second round of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008,[4] by winning in group D of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualification, drawing with Bangladesh and winning against Kyrgyzstan. In the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, Afghanistan lost all group matches to India, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In 2009 SAFF Championship Afghanistan lost all its matches to Maldives, India and Nepal. Hashmatullah Barakzai scored Afghanistan's only goal against Maldives in that loss.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Afghanistan competed in their third World Cup qualifying campaign playing the first leg of their first match against Palestine in Tajikistan due to security reasons, which they lost, and the second leg of the match in Palestine which they drew with Balal Arezou scoring, meaning they failed to advance to the second round and were eliminated.

2011 SAFF Championship
Players are celebrating after winning their 2011 SAFF Championship Semi-final against Nepal

In 2011 SAFF Championship Afghanistan defeated Bhutan 8–1, the biggest victory in the history of the Afghanistan football team. In this match, Balal Arezou scored the only hat-trick of the competition with 4 goals and the team scored the quickest goal of the tournament through Ata Yamrali in the third minute. It was Afghanistan's first Semi-final. In the Semi-final of the tournament, the Afghans faced Nepal whom they beat 1–0 in extra time with the only goal scored by Balal Arezou in the 101st minute. It was the first win of Afghanistan over Nepal. In the final, Afghanistan played India to whom they lost 4–0.

2012 AFC Challenge Cup

Afghanistan defeated Bhutan 5–0 in 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification. In the first leg, they beat Bhutan 3–0 with Sidiq Walizada scoring all 3 goals, and 2–0 in the second leg. In the second qualification round, Afghanistan lost to Nepal and North Korea, whilst beating Sri Lanka but failed to qualify for the next stage.

Afghan Premier League

For the first time in the football history of Afghanistan the AFF announced a league where 8 teams will compete against each other. The league was established in 2012 with the first season running through September and October of that year. 8 teams were concurrently established in 2012 to become the inaugural competitors.[5]

Players for the league were found through a reality television show called Maidan e Sabz ("Green Field").[6] The concept came from the Afghanistan Football Federation and the Afghanistan-based MOBY Group, which owns a number of TV channels and radio stations and is the largest media group in the country. MOBY Group channels will broadcast matches. Players were voted onto teams by a jury and by the television audience. Eight teams of 18 players, one from every region, were formed.[7]

The Afghan High Peace Council has praised the creation and development of the League as an, "opportunity to bring peace and stability" to Afghanistan.[5]

2013 SAFF Championship winners
See also: 2013 SAFF Championship Final
2013 SAFF Championship Final starting lineup on September 11, 2013, in Dasarath Stadium (Kathmandu, Nepal).
Hamidullah Karimi with the SAFF Championship trophy after their win against India

On 20 August 2013 before the 2013 SAFF Championship Afghanistan played Pakistan in a FIFA approved friendly for the first time in 36 years. This was also the first time on home ground after a decade which ended with a 3–0 victory over Pakistan with goals from Sandjar Ahmadi, Ahmad Hatifi and Maruf Mohammadi.[8]

Afghanistan entered the 2013 SAFF Championship as the highest ranked team by FIFA in the tournament placed at 139th. Afghanistan started the campaign with a 3-goal victory over Bhutan, with goals from Amiri, Azadzoy and Barakzai. The second match again ended with a 3–1 victory over Sri Lanka with goals from Rafi, Amiri and Barakzai. The Semi-final of the tournament was the repeat of last year's edition with Afghanistan again defeating Nepal with a solitary goal of Sandjar Ahmadi, that took Afghanistan in to the final of the tournament against India once again. Mansur Faqiryar of Afghanistan showed an outstanding goalkeeping performance by saving two back to back penalty kicks from Nepal in the last minutes of the match. The Final match of the tournament saw the 2011 SAFF Championship finalists again at Dashrath Stadium Nepal, where Afghanistan outplayed the defending champions India by 2 goals.[9] Afghanistan showed an outstanding performance. Goals from Azadzoy and Sandjar Ahmadi in each half of the game put the Afghan football team in front, to claim their first SAFF Championship title in their history.[10] Mansur Faqiryar was named the best player of the tournament, for his outstanding goal keeping skills throughout the tournament.

AFC Challenge Cup 2014

In the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, Afghanistan did well to reach the Semi-final, losing to the eventual champions Palestine, 2–0. They finished their campaign in fourth spot, the country's highest finishing place in the short term the cup has existed, losing to Maldives on a penalty shoot out: (7–8) after a 1–1 draw for third spot of the competition. On 10 June 2014 Afghanistan Football Federation moved from 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. Afghanistan was honored with the award for the outstanding performance of the Afghanistan football during the year, despite the chaos of war and difficult political situations the country is facing. FIFA made a statement and posted on its website that "Following a year of remarkable achievement in grassroots level football, building infrastructure to further develop football throughout the country and nurturing a professional league despite enduring over a decade of disorder stemming from war, Afghanistan has been presented the 2013 FIFA Fair Play Award."

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
Afghan national team before the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Japan, Azadi Stadium

On 9 February 2015, it was confirmed that the AFF signed a new coach for the national team. German-Bosnian trainer Slaven Skeledzic, signed a 1-year contract with the AFF. The new trainer had earlier coached the under 17 and under 19 teams in Germany. Skeledzic played football in Germany and coached youth teams in the Bundesliga.[11] On 27 April 2015 the AFF signed a contract with a new sponsor called Alokozay Group of Companies.

Afghanistan began the qualification with a 6–0 loss against Syria. After this match they had to play against lower ranked Cambodia. They won their first World Cup qualification match in the history of Afghanistan football. In their 3rd match against Japan, Afghanistan lost again 6–0. Against Singapore they lost 1–0. They lost 5–2 against Syria. In October 2015 the AFF forced Skeledzic to resign from his position, after the 5–2 defeat against Syria. In November 2015, the Afghan National Team announced that Petar Segrt was appointed as the new head coach. With a new coach and new players Afghanistan won their 2nd match against Cambodia with 3–0. After the qualifications the SAFF Championship started.

2015 SAFF Championship
See also: 2015 SAFF Championship Final

This was the last edition of the SAFF Championship where the national team of Afghanistan would play. After the team was announced Afghanistan began preparing for the tournament. They were in a group of 4 countries which was: Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Afghanistan won the first match 4–0 against Bangladesh. After they won the second match against Bhutan 3–0 they qualified for the semi-finals. They won their last match against Maldives 4–1. In the semi-final Afghanistan had to play against Sri Lanka. The match ended in a 5–0 win for Afghanistan. Eventually after reaching the final quite easily, Afghanistan had to play against tournament favorite India. This was a replay of the finals in the 2011 and 2013 SAFF Championships. After 90 minutes the match ended in a 1–1 draw. After this moment India scored the 2–1 and won the 2015 SAFF Championship for the 7th time. Khaibar Amani was given the topscorer of the tournament award with 4 goals.

2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Afghan supporters watching their national team play against Japan during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification in Azadi Stadium, Tehran.

When the tournament ended Afghanistan still had a chance to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. After their second loss against Japan with a 5–0 defeat, Afghanistan had to win against Singapore to qualify as 4th best in their group. And so they did with a 2–1 win against Singapore and a qualification spot for the 3rd round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

After the World Cup qualification ended Afghanistan played some friendly games. In September against Lebanon which the game ended in a 2–0 win for Lebanon. In October against Malaysia which ended in a 1–1 draw. Before the match against Tajikistan Segrt called up 24 players which did not include the player Zohib Islam Amiri because the player previously made the decision to not play anymore for Afghanistan. But without letting Segrt know the AFF did included Amiri in the squad. Segrt disagreed with the AFF and made the decision to quit as the head coach of the national team. This was just after his 1-year anniversary with the national team. The match against Tajikistan ended in a 1–0 loss for Afghanistan. Anoush Dastgir led the team as interim coach for this match.

In February 2017 the AFF announced the signing of Otto Pfister as the new head coach of the national team.[12] Afghanistan played a friendly game against Singapore before the Asian Cup qualification match against Vietnam. Afghanistan won the game with 2–1 with goals from Mukhammad and Azadzoy.[13] The important Asian Cup qualification match against Vietnam ended in a 1–1 draw with a goal from Hassan Amin.[14] However, Afghanistan since then has suffered a serious setback. In the match against opponent Cambodia in Phnom Penh, which Afghanistan once defeated 4–0, Afghanistan had shocked by losing 0–1 against the same rival. Later, Afghanistan suffered second defeat, this time against Jordan, with the score 1–4 in Amman. Between two official qualification matches, Afghanistan also lost 0–2 to Oman in a friendly match. Afghanistan's late effort later only helped them to manage a 3–3 draw against Jordan, and Afghanistan was near the verge of being eliminated if they could not defeat Vietnam in the fifth match. At the crucial match against Vietnam in Hanoi, despite Afghanistan had nearly outplayed the host, failed efforts and bad lucks had prevented Afghanistan to seal a victory, as the match ended 0–0, effectively eliminated Afghanistan from the qualification while Vietnam went to seal the ticket to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup with Jordan, after 1–0 victory over Cambodia. Afghanistan played their last match against Cambodia who also failed to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The match ended in a 2–1 victory for Afghanistan.[15] After the match it was announced that Pfister will leave his job and that Anoush Dastgir will be the new head coach of the national team with the addition of Shabir Isoufi as the new assistant coach of Afghanistan.[16][17] On 13 July 2018 it was announced that Afghanistan will play a friendly game in Kabul, Afghanistan for the first time since 2013 against Palestine.[18]

Kit

In 2002, the Japanese sports brand ASICS was the sponsor for the national team until 2004. In 2005, the German sports brand Adidas was the sponsor of the national team till 2008. In 2009, the Danish sports brand Hummel equipped the national team. In 2011 the Afghanistan Football Federation had signed a four-year contract with Hummel, to provide both the men's and women's national teams with all of the sportswear from 2011 to 2015.[19] On 6 March 2015, the Afghan Football Federation signed a new four-year contract with Hummel till 2019. On 27 April 2015, the AFF signed a contract with a new sponsor called Alokozay Group of Companies. This sponsor will be on the shirts of the national team.[20] Hummel released in 2016 the new kits for Afghanistan. It included an integrated hijab for the female Afghanistan footballers to play with while being covered from head to toe.[21] In December 2018, Hummel announced that it will no longer sponsor Afghanistan's football association after allegations emerged of physical, psychological and sexual abuse committed by male employees against players from the country's women's national team.[22]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2009– present Hummel AGC (Alokozay Group of Companies)

Sponsors

Alokozay, MOBY Group, Lemar & TOLO are the national team's sponsors.

Home stadium
The Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, which is now referred to as the Afghan Football Federation Stadium

Major football matches in Afghanistan are held at the Afghan Football Federation Stadium (popularly known as the Ghazi Stadium) in Kabul. It was built in 1923 during the reign of King Amanullah Khan, who is regarded as Ghazi (Hero) for the Afghan victory in the Third Anglo-Afghan War and gaining independence for his nation after the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919. The stadium has the capacity to house 25,000 people. The first international football match hosted there was played between Iran and Afghanistan in 1941 and ended as a draw, 0–0. Their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification second leg match was played at the Ghazi Stadium against Turkmenistan which Afghanistan lost 2–0, having previously lost the first leg 11–0. The stadium is maintained and controlled by the Afghanistan Football Federation. The Afghan Premier League and other local football tournaments take place in the stadium. The Ghazi Stadium was renovated in 2011 after the entire ground was removed and replaced with new soil and artificial turf placed on top. The stadium now holds bigger sporting events. The proposed construction of a new national stadium was completed in the 2013/2014 season which cost 25 million euros.[23] In 2015 FIFA helped the AFF with the reconstruction of new youth teams and develop also women's football for the national team.[24]

Results and fixtures
Main article: Afghanistan national football team results
25 December 2018 (2018-12-25) FriendlyAfghanistan 0–2 TurkmenistanAntalya, Turkey
16:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Miracle Resort Hotel Center
Attendance: 150

2019
20 March 2019 2019 Airmarine CupOman 5–0 AfghanistanKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
16:30 UTC+8 Al-Mahaijri  9'
Saleh  26'
Al-Balushi  45+2'
Al-Muqbali  49'
Al-Khaldi  90+3'		 Report (WF)
Report (FSA)		 Stadium: Bukit Jalil National Stadium
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
23 March 2019 2019 Airmarine CupAfghanistan 1–2 MalaysiaKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
16:30 UTC+8 Shayesteh  32' Report (WF)
Report (FSA)		 Faiz  44'
Alikhil  84' (o.g.)		 Stadium: Bukit Jalil National Stadium
Referee: Chaireag Ngamsom (Thailand)
7 June 2019 FriendlyTajikistan 1–1 AfghanistanDushanbe, Tajikistan
Samiyev  88' Haydary  72' Stadium: Pamir Stadium
5 September 2019 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundQatar 6–0 AfghanistanDoha, Qatar
19:30 UTC+3 Ali  4', 10', 51'
Al-Haydos  13'
Hassan  34'
Khoukhi  67'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan)
10 September 2019 (2019-09-10) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundAfghanistan 1–0 BangladeshDushanbe, Tajikistan
19:00 UTC+5 Noor  27' Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Central Republican Stadium
Referee: Zhang Lei (China)
10 October 2019 (2019-10-10) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundOman 3–0 AfghanistanMuscat, Oman
18:30 UTC+4 Al-Muqbali  26', 38'
Al-Ghassani  61' (pen.)		 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)
14 November 2019 (2019-11-14) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundAfghanistan 1–1 IndiaDushanbe, Tajikistan
19:00 UTC+5 Nazary  45+1' Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Doungel  90+2' Stadium: Central Republican Stadium
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Yu Ming-hsun (Chinese Taipei)
19 November 2019 (2019-11-19) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundAfghanistan 0–1 QatarDushanbe, Tajikistan
19:00 UTC+5 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Central Republican Stadium
Referee: Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)

2020
8 October 2020 (2020-10-08) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundBangladesh v AfghanistanSylhet, Bangladesh
Stadium: Sylhet District Stadium
13 October 2020 (2020-10-13) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundAfghanistan v OmanDushanbe, Tajikistan
Stadium: Central Republican Stadium
17 November 2020 (2020-11-17) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second RoundIndia v AfghanistanKolkata, India
Stadium: Salt Lake Stadium

Coaching staff
Anoush Dastgir, on the right with Kanischka Taher on the left during the 2015 SAFF Championship.
Head Coach Anoush Dastgir
Assistant Coach Shabir Isoufi
National Team Manager Mustafa Mehrzad
Coordinator Sayed Ali Kazemi
Goalkeeping Coach Mansur Faqiryar
Physiotherapist Kevin van Geel
Sports-masseur Marcel van Baardwijk
Conditioning coach Siyar Kabiri
Equipment Manager Sharif Sarwari

Current squad

The following 24 players have been called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against India on 14 November 2019 and Qatar on 19 November 2019.

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2019, after the match against Qatar.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ovays Azizi (1992-01-29) 29 January 1992 25 0 Ariana
22 1GK Faisal Hamidi (1997-07-06) 6 July 1997 2 0 Toofan Harirod
23 1GK Khaiss Wahab (2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 0 0 FC Hanau 93
2 2DF David Najem (1992-05-26) 26 May 1992 3 0 New Mexico United
3 2DF Hassan Amin (1991-10-12) 12 October 1991 21 2 unattached
4 2DF Zohib Islam Amiri (1990-02-15) 15 February 1990 48 6 unattached
12 2DF Mahboob Hanifi (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 0 0 unknown
15 2DF Farzad Ataie (1991-12-30) 30 December 1991 9 0 Shaheen Asmayee F.C.
21 2DF Sharif Mukhammad (1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 19 1 Maziya S&RC
3MF Najim Haidary (1999-12-22) 22 December 1999 3 0 FC Den Bosch
5 3MF Adam Najem (1995-01-19) 19 January 1995 8 0 Tampa Bay Rowdies
6 3MF Noor Husin (1997-03-03) 3 March 1997 4 0 Dartford
8 3MF Farshad Noor (captain) (1994-10-02) 2 October 1994 13 1 Nea Salamis
10 3MF Faysal Shayesteh (1991-06-10) 10 June 1991 43 8 unattached
14 3MF Zelfy Nazary (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 5 0 Western Pride
16 3MF Milad Intezar (1992-11-04) 4 November 1992 12 0 SteDoCo
18 3MF Rahmatullah Khairkhah (1996-02-21) 21 February 1996 1 0 Toofan Harirod
19 3MF Omid Popalzay (1996-01-25) 25 January 1996 21 3 CM Winkel Sport
20 3MF Naeem Rahimi (1994-04-04) 4 April 1994 2 0 Pascoe Vale
7 4FW Fareed Sadat (1998-11-10) 10 November 1998 1 0 Musan Salama
9 3MF Khaibar Amani (1987-02-06) 6 February 1987 14 3 SV Zeilsheim
11 3MF Norlla Amiri (1991-08-23) 23 August 1991 14 1 Ariana
13 4FW Omran Haydary (1998-01-13) 13 January 1998 5 1 Lechia Gdańsk
17 4FW Jabar Sharza (1994-04-06) 6 April 1994 5 2 HIFK

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Afghanistan squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Hosseini Helal (1997-03-21) 21 March 1997 0 0 unknown v.  Oman, 10 October 2019
DF Benjamin Nadjem (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 5 0 Meiendorfer SV v.  Oman, 10 October 2019
DF Ali Baset Nazari (2001-11-06) 6 November 2001 0 0 Toofan Harirod v.  Oman, 10 October 2019
MF Abassin Alikhil (1991-04-19) 19 April 1991 30 0 SC Hessen Dreieich v.  Oman, 10 October 2019
MF Hoshang Noor Ali (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 0 0 AS Blainville v.  Bangladesh, 10 September 2019
FW Mustafa Azadzoy (1992-07-24) 24 July 1992 25 3 Nakhon Pathom United v.  Oman, 10 October 2019
FW Zubayr Amiri (1990-05-02) 2 May 1990 11 2 SC Hessen Dreieich v.  Oman, 10 October 2019
FW Yar Zakarkhel (1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 0 0 Toofan Harirod v.  Bangladesh, 10 September 2019

Notes:

  • SUS Player suspended
  • INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
  • RET Retired from the national team
  • WD Player withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons

Players

Most capped players

Updated 2 December 2017.

Still active national team players are highlighted

# Player Period Caps Goals
1 Zohib Islam Amiri 2005– 46 7
2 Djelaludin Sharityar 2007–2015 38 1
3 Mustafa Hadid 2007– 35 2
4 Ahmad Hatifi 2011–2016 34 4
5 Faysal Shayesteh 2014– 33 7
6 Abassin Alikhil 2011– 31 0
7 Hashmatullah Barakzai 2007–2015 27 5
Israfeel Kohistani 2006–2013 27 1
9 Mansur Faqiryar 2011–2015 23 0
10 Balal Arezou 2011– 26 9

Top goalscorers

Updated 2 December 2017.

Still active national team players are highlighted

# Player Period Goals Caps
1 Balal Arezou 2011– 9 26
2 Faysal Shayesteh 2014– 8 35
3 Khaibar Amani 2015– 7 21
4 Zohib Islam Amiri 2005– 6 52
Sandjar Ahmadi 2011–2015 6 25
6 Hashmatullah Barakzai 2007–2015 5 27
Hafizullah Qadami 2003–2008 5 10
8
Harez Habib 2007–2013 4 16
Ahmad Hatifi 2011–2016 4 34
Sediq Walizada 2010–2014 4 10

Managers

Updated 16 November 2019.

Manager Period
None (1941–75)
Vladimir Salenko (1975–76)
Sergei Salnikov (1976–77)
Nikolai Efimov (1976–77)
Islam Gul (1977–79)
Sayed Ahmad Zia Muzafari (1979–81)
Khwaja Aziz (1981–87)
Gennadi Sarychev (1987–88)
None[note 1] (1988–2003)
Mir Ali Asghar Akbarzada (2003–04)
Mohammad Yousef Kargar (2004–05)
Klaus Stärk (2005–08)
Mohammad Yousef Kargar (2008–13)
Erich Rutemöller (Interim) (2014–15)
Hossein Saleh (Interim) (2015)
Slaven Skeledzic (2015)
Petar Segrt (2015–16)
Anoush Dastgir (Interim) (2016–17)
Otto Pfister (2017–18)
Anoush Dastgir (2018–present)

Competitive record
As of 2 May 2018

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 Did not enter Did not enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 13
2010 2 0 0 2 1 5
2014 2 0 1 1 1 3
2018 8 3 0 5 8 24
2022 To be determined To be determined
2026
TotalBest: None0 titles––––––1431101045

AFC Asian Cup
Asian Cup record Asian Cup Qualification record
Hosts / year Result Position GP W D L GS GA GP W D L GS GA
1956Did not enter Did not enter
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976 to 1984Did not qualifyDid not qualify
1988 to 2000Did not enterDid not enter
2004Did not qualifyDid not qualify
2007 to 2015Did not enterDid not enter
2019Did not qualifyDid not qualify
TotalBest: None–––––––––––––

Summer Olympics

Young teams were favoured by FIFA and the IOC, and since 1992, male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad.

Summer Olympics record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
1900 to 1936Did not enter
1948Preliminary100106
1952Did not enter
1956Withdrew
1960
1964 to 2004Did not enter
2008Did not qualify
2012Did not enter
2016Did not qualify
2020To be determined
TotalBest: Preliminary100106

Asian Games

From 2002 onwards played by Afghanistan under-23 team.

Asian Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
19514th place200205
1954Group stage2002412
1958 to 1998Did not enter
2002Group stage3003032
2006Did not enter
2010
2014Group stage300318
2018Did not enter
TotalBest: 4th place100010557

AFC Challenge Cup (2006–2014)
AFC Challenge Cup record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
2006Group stage302135
2008Group stage3003010
2010Withdrew
2012Did not qualify
20144th place512244
TotalBest: 4th place11146719

SAFF Championship (2003–2015)
SAFF Championship record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
1993 to 1999Did not enter
2003Group stage300306
2005Group stage3102311
2008Group stage302157
2009Group stage300317
2011Runners-up5311137
2013Champions541091
2015Runners-up5401173
TotalBest: Champions27124114842

South Asian Games (2004–2010)
South Asian Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
1984 to 1999Did not enter
2004Group stage300317
2006Group stage302115
2010Runners-up330051
TotalBest: Runners-up9324713

Honours

Regional
Champions : 2013
Runners-up : 2011, 2015
Silver Medal : 2010

Other
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See also

Notes
  1. From 1988 to 2003, Afghanistan didn't play any matches due to security concerns within the country.

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  2. "FIFA Member Association Afghanistan". fifa.com. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  3. "Afghanistan National Football Team" Archived 2 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine by Afghan-web.com (Afghan-web)
  4. Afghanistan at AFC Challenge Cup 2008 at AFC Website Archived 13 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Afghan Football League Heads to First Semi-Final Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine by Rezwan Natiq and Mir Sayed (Tolo News, 10 October 2012)
  6. Roshan Afghan Premier League a hit with fans by Tahir Qadiry (BBC News, 22 September 2012)
  7. "Talent search at Hindukush" (in German). fussball.de. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  8. Amiri: Football brings Afghans together by FIFA (FIFA, 22 August 2013)
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