Afghanistan Jumps 48 Positions in FIFA Ranking

2nd Day Results in Kandahar

Results of Matches in 2nd day of The Champions of the Zones Tournament in Kandahar:

Jowzjan 1 - 0 Etifaq Herat
Omid Helmand 1 - Big Bear Kabul

Regional Cup Kicks Off in Kandahar

Kandahar is hosting a tournament between provincial clubs from 9 provinces. All teams are divided in two groups. Group A consist of Etifaq Herat and clubs from Kabul (Big Bear), Jowzjan, Panjshir (Moqawemat) and Helmand (Omid). Clubs from Kandahar, Khost, Nangarhar and Badakhshan are placed in Group B.

AFF says they try to send the champion of this tournament to next year AFC President Cup, a promise that has been repeated in the recent years but never changed into reality.

Omid Helmand 4 - 1 Moqawemat Panjshir
Kabul v. Jowzjan postponed due to rain

Afghanistan National Football Team Doctor

Lions of Khurasan Qualifies for the Challenge Cup

Afghanistan drew 1-1 with Laos after a hard fight yesterday. Afghanistan qualified to the final stage of the AFC Challenge Cup with 7 points. Afghanistan headed to the match with Laos with 6 points from the two earlier group matches with Sri Lanka and Mongolia, while Laos had 4 points following a draw with Mongolia and a victory over Sri Lanka. Both teams knew a draw would send Afghanistan through, while Laos needed a victory. 

The Lions of Khurasan started the matched on a brighter note a completely controlled the ball within the first 12 minutes not allowing Laos to come close to the Afghanistan net. The match gradually changed to a balanced affair. 18 minutes passed the match, Djalaluddin Sharityar, the Afghan captain, was shown a yellow card which was not really necessary to give. 

While Afghanistan had better control over the ball and Balal Arezou missed a one on one opportunity, Laos scored a goal after the Afghan keeper came out of the post to clear a cheap ball. It was a shock for Afghanistan, but they continued to press until the referee showed the second yellow card to the Afghan captain and asked him to march out of the field. The decision was not welcomed by the Afghan players and the coach who was also sent off after serious protest against the decision of the referee.

Jawad Attayee, the Assistant Coach, then stepped up to guide the team, a team that was very disappointed at half time. Afghanistan made a change at the beginning of the second half. Salim Kohistani who appeared very weak in this match was replaced by a defender, Ali Ahmad Yarzada. 10 man Afghanistan, however, started to attack and was solid in defense. Eventually the efforts of Afghan team paid off at minute 58 when Mustafa Azadzoy grabbed a ball from the Laos defenders and fired on the goal. Azadzoy's shot did not result to a goal but Arash Hatifi made sure the reversed ball was inside the net through a narrow angle. 

The goal energized the Afghan team and gave them the moral they needed. Five minutes after the Afghan team scored, Attayee decided to replace the charismatic goal scorer, Belal Arezou with Munirulhaq Nadim, as Belal looked tired in the field. Another change was made in the middle field when Mashriqi came it to replace Sandjar Ahmadi in minute 80. 

Despite some attemps from both sides, the match ended in a draw and ultimate qualification of Afghanistan to the Challenge Cup. The Afghan players and coaching erupted in joy and dance after the draw with a wave of happiness and congratulation messages on Facebook and local media. 

With 7 points, Afghanistan is through to the final round of the AFC Challenge Cup where it will compete with 7 other nations from Asia. The winner of the 2014 tournament will make it to the Asia Cup in 2015. 

Afghanistan Closer to Qualification

In a much improved match, Afghanistan registered an identical 1-0 victory over Mongolia to collect 6 points after its victory in the opening against Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is now leading the group and a tie between Sri Lanka and Laos later in the day would send Afghanistan through the final stage of the tournament.

Kargar made only two changes to the team he used against Sri Lanka. Yusef Mashriqi and Amruddin Sharifi were out for Haress Habib and Sandjar Ahmadi to begin in the first 11. Afghanistan began the match on a bright note and missed a number of chances in the first half. Balal Arezou missed a sitter and Sandjar Ahmadi did the same minutes later. Afghanistan continued to put pressure on the opponent by passing long high balls and Balal scored on an assist from Sandjar in minute 66. That was the only goal as Afghanistan could not convert its chances to goals on many occasions.

While Afghanistan completely dominated the match, Mongolia created some useless chances at the dying minutes of the match. At the end, Kargar boys were the happier. The surprise was when everyone thought Kargar will make some changes, but he refused to do so until the last 15 minutes when he used Yusef Mashriqi, Wahid Nadim and Munirulhaq Nadim as substitutes for Arash Hatifi, Salim Kohistani and Sandjar Ahmadi. 

Laos will meet Sri Lanka later in the day. Afghanistan's last match is against Laos on Wednesday evening.

Afghanistan to Take on Mongolia in Thirst of Another Win

In a what is seen to be a decisive match, Afghanistan is facing a spirited Mongolia today in the Group C of AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in Laos. Afghanistan came out victorious after a poor 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match, while Mongolia held the host Laos to a precious 1-1 draw in the evening game.

While Afghanistan looks the better side, the Lions of Khursan should be aware of the danger of the Mongolian team. Mongolia has been speedy and dangerous on counterattacks in the match with Laos. In the first match, Afghanistan had issues with the middle field. The middle field could not hold on the ball and did not gave good passes to the opportunistic attackers. One or two changes in the middle field would change the fame for Afghanistan.

Given the fact Mongolian players are short, Afghanistan players can use their height in from of the Mongolian goal. While it is football and hard to predict, Afghanistan has all means to register another win and continue as group leader.

With a win today, Afghanistan will be the prime candidate for qualification from Group C.

The match will start at 13:30 Kabul time and will be aired on Tolo and Lemar TVs. Meanwhile, Laos will take on Sri Lanka at 16:30 Kabul time that is also aired by the same TV channels in Afghanistan and around the world.

Afghanistan v. Sri Lanka (In Pictures)

To see more pictures, click below:

Laos, a Football Loving Nation!

Surprisingly, the spectators in the Laos National Stadium were not in good numbers during the matches of Afghanistan. v Sri Lanka and even during the match of their own team, Laos v. Mongolia. 

 

Afghanistan Begins the Qualifier with a Win

In a boring match in the opening day of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, Afghanistan collected all 3 points in its match against Sri Lanka. Balal Arzou was the hero for Afghanistan as he scored the winner in the last moments of the first half for Afghanistan.

By this win, Afghanistan tops Group C temporary pending the result of the match between Laos and Mongolia which is in progress right now.

Afghanistan Matches will Be Aired Live

All 3 matches of the Lions of Khurasan will be live broadcasted on Tolo and Lemar TV of Afghanistan. Aghazada, the Secretary General of AFF confirmed this news on Tolo TV.

In last Challenge Cup hosted by Nepal, Afghan football fans were deprived of watching their national heroes on TV.

Challenge Cup Opponents Involved in Friendlies

Afghanistan, Laos and Sri Lanka, 3 out of 4 contenders in Group C of AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, played friendly matches in preparation for AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers on Feb 25 and 26.

Afghanistan played Etihad Fishwar, an Iranian club based in Dubai on Feb 25. Belal Arezou scored from the spot to give Afghanistan a 1-0 win. Afghanistan media reported Etihad Fishwar used a number of Arab players in its squad against Afghanistan. Afghanistan team had defeated this team 6-1 in late January.

Laos played a 3-3 draw with Malaysia U23 in Laos capital. This was the last friendly match of Laos ahead of Group C qualifiers that are going to be hosted by Laos. Laos team had played two Thai teams and North Korea as well.

Sri Lanka also traveled to Thailand for a week long training where it has played one friendly match against Osotspa so far. The scoreline was not in favor of Sri Lanka as it was defeated 3-1 by this Thai club. Sri Lanka scored in the latest minutes of the match from the spot.

Afghanistan is flying to Bangkok and then to Laos tonight.

Sri Lanka Announces Squad, Training Camp

 
Sri Lanka has announced its squad for AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers. Sri Lanka is grouped with Afghanistan, Laos and Mongolia. Most of the players are under age of 23 and this means Afghanistan is going to play a Sri Lankan team with a new face.

Football Federation of Sri Lanka has arranged a training camp in Thailand where Sri Lanka team will play two friendly matches from 22nd to 27th February, 2013. They will proceed to Laos on 28th February, 2013 to participate in the qualifiers.

Chathura Gunaratne has been named to captain the team for this tour.

Players

Nos.	Name	Jersey No.	Date of Birth	Position
1	D. Dasun Paranavithana	1	10/01/1991	Goalkeeper
2	H. Peter Chales	2	15/12/1991	Defence
3	Sanka Danushka Wijesiri	3	28/12/1984	Defence
4	R. A. A. Nalaka	4	31/03/1989	Midfield
5	M. M. Mohamed Sameer	5	05/04/1991	Defence
6	M. K. Mohamed Hakeem	6	25/09/1992	Defence
7	Malik Migara	7	25/10/1989	Forward
8	Dharshaka Chandrarathna	8	14/06/1993	Midfield
9	Kavindu Ishan	9	17/10/1992	Forward/Mid Filed
10	W. Chathura Gunarathna (Captain)	10	08/09/1982	Midfield
11	Nipuna Davinda Bandara	11	17/06/1991	Forward
12	E. A. Chathuranga Sanjeewa	13	06/07/1991	Forward/Midfield
13	Sachith Aloka De Silva	15	05/06/1990	Forward/Midfield
14	A. L. Mohamed Aleem	16	10/08/1991	Midfield
15	Thilina Suranda Bandara (V. Captain)	17	16/08/1985	Defence
16	Chameera Sajith Kumara	18	29/01/1993	Midfield
17	M. F. Mohomed Shufhan	19	08/04/1992	Midfield
18	D. Madushan De Silva	20	16/11/1993	Midfield
19	M. Chalana Chameera	21	10/01/1993	Forward/Midfield
20	Mohamed Waseem	22	11/10/1991	Goalkeeper
21	A.W.A.Tharindu Eranga	23	30/05/1991	Defence
22	Charitha Bandara Rathnayake	24	26/12/1992	Defence
23	Sujan Perera	25	18/07/1992	Goalkeeper

Afghanistan to Play a Friendly

Afghanistan is going to play a friendly match next Monday in Dubai. The name of the opponent is not revealed yet. However, the national players are told this is an Iranian club.

Details to follow ........

Afghanistan Squad for AFC Challenge Cup Qualifier Announced

The 23 member squad of Afghanistan for AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers was announced officially yesterday. As stated in my previous posts, 9 players who play in Afghanistan and 14 players who are playing outside Afghanistan are invited to the team.

Goalkeeper
Hamidullah Yousefzai – Foroozi Afghanistan
Abdul Qayum Sapond – De Maiwand Atalan Afghanistan
Mansur Faqiryar – VFB Oldenberg Germany
Defence
Ali Yarzada – Toofan Harirood Afghanistan
Muqadar Qazizaza – Shaheen Asmayee Afghanistan
Djelaludin Sharityar – Al Hidd Bahrain
Faisal Sakhizada – Dandenong Thunder Australia
Islam Amiri – Mumbai FC India
Midfield
Rafi Barekzai – Toofan Harirood Afghanistan
Waheed Nadeem – Toofan Harirood Afghanistan
Idris Mashriqi – USA
Yusef Mashriqi – Bhawanipore FC India
Harez Habib – BC Sport Kasel Germany
Salim Kohistani – Vejle boldklub Kolding II Denmark
Arash Hatifie – USA
Mustafa Azadzoy – VFB Oldenberg Germany

Fardin Shinwari – USA
Forward
Amrudin Sharifi – Esteghlal Kabul Afghanistan
Munirulhaq Nadim– Simorgh Alborz Afghanistan
Belal Arezou – Churchill Brothers SC India
Sandjar Ahmadi – SC Vier- und Marschlande Germany
Mustafa Hadid – Altona 93 Germany
Hamid Karimi – Toofan Harirood Afghanistan

Laos to Play a Friendly with Malaysia U23

Laos to play Malaysia U23 in a friendly match on February 26 in Laos. The match is part of the preparation for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers Group C. Group C consists of Laos as the host, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.

Laos has played 3 matches against Thai clubs and North Korea and the match against Malaysia will further strengthen its squad for the Challenge Cup.

Opportuntiy to Make a Record in FIFA Ranking for Afghanistan

Afghanistan has the best chance to climb to its highest best position in FIFA World Ranking, if it wins all its 3 matches in the upcoming AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers. Afghanistan is grouped with host Laos, Sri Lanka and Mongolia and victories over these opponents will increase the points of Afghanistan National Team from 39 to 233.

With these points, Afghanistan can jump to 133 in the world ranking which would be a record for Afghanistan. Afghanistan reached its highest place, 162, in FIFA ranking in May 2011 and since then it has been declining since no friendly match has been organized.

If Afghanistan lose all its 3 matches, it will keep its 39 points with a possible 1 step decline to 190.

Given this scenario, much is at stake for Afghanistan in this qualifier. Not only Afghanistan can qualify for the final stage of AFC Challenge Cup for the second time in history, it can also improve its ranking at the global ranking.

Afghan Probable Squad in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers

Based on my information, the following players are making the 23 member squad of Afghanistan for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers to be held in Laos between 2 -4 March. The team is leaving to Dubai today for a 6 day training and then will fly to Laos on February 27.

Goal Keepers:

1. Hamidullah Yousefzai (Foroozi Kabul)
2. Mansur Faqiryar, (Germany)
3. Abdul Qayum Sapand (Afghanistan)

Defence:

4. Islam Amiri (Mumbai FC, India)
5. Faisal Sakhizada (Safa) (Dandenong Thunder, Australia)
6. Moqadar Qazizada (Foroozi, Afghanistan)
7. Ali Ahmad Yarzada (Toofan Harirood, Afghanistan)
8. Djalaludin Sharityar (Al Had, Bahrain)

Midfield:

9. Wahid Nadim (Toofan Harirood, Afghanistan)
10. Yousef Mashriqi, (Bowahnipar FC, India)
11. Edris Mashriqi, (USA)
12. Rafi Barekzay (Toofan Harirood, Afghanistan)
13. Fardin Shaiwani (USA)
14. Salim Kohistani (Denmark)
15. Arash Hatifi (USA)
16. Zainuddin Sharifi (Estiqlal Kabul, Afghanistan)

Attack:

17. Balal Arezou, (Churchill Brothers, India)
18. Hamidullah Karimi (Toofan Harirood, Afghanistan)
19. Sandjar Ahmadi (SC Vier- und Marschlande, Germany)
20. Mustafa Hadid (Altona 93, Germany)
21. Mustafa Azadzoy (VFB Oldenberg, Germany)
22. Munirul Haq Nadim (Simorgh Alborz, Afghanistan)
23. Amrudin Sharifi (Estiqlal Kabul, Afghanistan)

Mashriqi Becomes the 4th Afghan to Join I-League

Yusef Mashriqi joins Bhowanipar FC for the I-League 2nd Division campaign. He is awaiting his international clearance and is due to arrive in Kolkata on Tuesday to commence training with his teammates. Bhowanipar FC was established in 1910, but was accepted in Division 2 of the I-League in 2012. They have finished 6 in their 7 member group and failed to promote to the I-League.

Mashriqi is the international midfielder for Afghanistan and appeared in 12 matches for Afghanistan. He has played for the NY Red Bulls Academy and some other Afghan teams in US. In addition, he was in talks with Bunyodkar of Uzbekistan, but failed to reach in agreement with them last year. 

Mashriqi is the 4th Afghan player that chooses to play football in India. Islam Amiri, Belal Arezou and Mujtaba Faiz are playing in the I-league.

Afghanistan to Begin 2nd Camp in Dubai

The second preparatory camp for the National Football Team of Afghanistan will be held in Dubai between February 20 to 27. The 23 Afghanistan and abroad based players who made it to the final squad of the Lions of Khurasan will attend this camp.

AFF is trying to organize two friendly matches with UAE based clubs, but the matches are not confirmed yet. On Feb 27, the national team leaves to Laos where it will participate in the Group C of AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers. Afghanistan is grouped with Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Laos and will play them on March 2, 4 and 6 respectively.

Afghanistan Drops 3 Places in FIFA World Ranking

Afghanistan dropped 3 places in FIFA ranking this month. Keeping its previous 39 points, Afghanistan stands at 189 place. In Asia, Afghanistan is at 42 out of 46 AFC members. Similarly, it stands at 5 ahead of Sri Lanka and Bhutan in South Asia.

Two of contenders of Afghanistan in Group C of AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers. Laos is at 173, Mongolia at 181 and Sri Lanka at 193.

Afghanistan Premier to Undergo with Some Changes in 2nd Season

The Premier League in Afghanistan will witness a little bit of changes next season. In the inaugural season, players of the 8 teams were selected by 3 coaches from the Afghanistan Football Federation. 3 members of each team were selected by the audience through SMS. The teams were divided into 2 groups of 4 teams. The top two teams from each group advanced to the semi-final match and the winners of the semi-finals fought over the title.

This season, however, there would be some changes:

1. AFF is doing its best to turn the league into a home/away system. However, all matches will be played in one stadium.
2. Each team will have only 18 players compared to last year's 21.
3. There would be regional qualifiers to the league. Each province would have a team to play in the regional qualifiers, however, each team can recruit players from other provinces. The winner of each 8 regional qualifier (Kabul would have its own qualifier) will be promoted to the main league.
4. The league will begin in mid-August and will last for more than two months.

Balal Arezoo Joins Churchil Brothers of I-League

Only a week after a former Afghan international joined Air India in Indian Premier League, Afghanistan's finest striker, Belal Arezoo, joined the leaders of the I-League table. Belal is transferred to Churchil Brothers from Asker FC of Norway based on a 4 month loan contract.

There has been talks of Belal playing in the I-league and teams like Mumbai FC and Sikkim had offered him contracts which were rejected by Belal. He attracted the attention of I-League teams after he went to the Finals of both South Asian Games and SAFF Games with Afghanistan-being the top scorer for Afghanistan.

In addition to Belal Arezoo and Mujtaba Faiz, Islam Amiri is another Afghan international who joined Mumbai FC of I-League two years ago.

Laos in a Goalless Draw with North Korea

In a friendly match on Feb 6, Laos drew North Korea with a goalless draw. In contrast to FIFA website, the website of Laos Football Federation says Laos lost the match 0-1. Even with the defeat, Laos made its voice heard.

Laos defeated Buriram United of Thailand, but went down to a division one club of Thailand last week. This means the team is making good preparation and they want to top the Group C, the group they are going to host between March 2 to 6.

The other group members, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Mongolia did not play friendly matches on February 6 which is a FIFA day for friendly matches.

Laos to Play North Korea in a Friendly

As part of their preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifier, Laos is going to play North Korea. The match will be played at Tuodong Sport Center Stadium, Kunming, China.

Laos also played Buriram United of Thailand a won the match 1-0 on January 30. Laos is grouped with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Mongolia in Group C. Group C matches will be played on March 2, 4 and 6 in the capital of Laos.

Laos Defeats Buriram United of Thailand

Laos National Football Team registered a 1-0 win over Buriram United of Thailand. Buriram United FC is the winner of Thailand FA Cup 2012 and qualified to play in AFC champion league 2013. Laos's goal came as a result of a free kick at minute 80.

Laos has been preparing itself for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers where it is hosting Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Mongolia in Group C from 2-6 March.

Afghanistan Wins a Lowly Friendly

In preparation for AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, Afghanistan National Team played a friendly match with Etihad Fishwar, an Iranian club in Dubai today. Afghanistan won the match 6-1.

Amruddin Sharifi and Arash Hatifi scored a brace each, while Munirulhaq Nadim and Mustafa Azadzoy added two more goals for Afghanistan. 

The Iranian club is a local club consisting of Iranian footballers in Dubai and has previously played with the National Youth Team of Iran and with some other clubs from Iran, UAE and other countries.

Yousef Kargar, the coach of Afghanistan team, told such matches would help his team assess its abilities before the match.  

Afghanistan is having a practice camp in Dubai after which  23 players will make it to the final squad for Laos qualifying games. 

Picture: National Team Practice Camp in Dubai

Faiz Joins Air India

Mujtaba Faiz became the second Afghan player to play in the I-League of India. Islam Amiri has joined Mumbai FC two years ago and now he is the captain of the team. Faiz's recruitment is pending to medical check-up.

24 year old Faiz has played for Afghanistan on 3 occasions, but usually he has been a bench player.While he played for Foroozi, he also joined Shaheen Asmayee in the inaugural Afghan Premier League in 2012.

Air India is in a difficult position with 15 points out of 15 matches at 11th position, 2 clear of the relegation zone.

Provincial Leagues in Full Swing in Herat

Herat Hazfi Cup:

Istiqlal Moaref defeats Etehad Ghoryan in penalty shoutouts 4-3 to reach the next round.

Youth Leagues:

In under 19 league, Maiwand passed Pamir with 3 goals, while Etifaq and Payam Asia reached to a goalless draw.

In under 16 league, Ariana made it 2-0 against Black Water and Maiwand defeated Piroozi with the same scoreline. 

Afghanistan Finishes at 11th in the Qualifier

 After Saudi Arabia failed to come to the match on the 11th place play-off match, Afghanistan was awarded a 3-0 score and thus secured 11th place in the tournament. It was Afghanistan's second victory after its victory in the opener against host Qatar.

Iran, Japan and UAE made it to the Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti.

Afghanistan Registers Yet Another Defeat

Afghanistan lost the change to fight for 9th place in Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier after it was beaten by Bahrain 2-5. Baran and captain Mohammadi scored for Afghanistan. Mohammadi has scored 8 goals so far in the tournament and he is one of the favorites to win the Best Scorer Award if he scores for Afghanistan later today.

The defeat means Afghanistan should play Saudi Arabia in the fight for 11th place at  4:45 pm (Kabul time) today.

Australia Defeats Afghanistan in Beach Soccer Qualifier

Afghanistan's hope of reaching the Beach Soccer World Cup was dashed today after they were beaten 6-4 by Australia. Afghan captain, Sami Mohammadi scored a hat trick and Mahmood Azad scored from the spot for Afghanistan.

The defeat means Afghanistan collected only 3 points in the group stage and finished behind Australia and Oman in Group A. Qatar was defeated in all its 3 matches.

Afghanistan is still to play two matches for 9-12 places play-offs. The matches will take place tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Afghanistan will face off Bahrain tomorrow at 4:45 Kabul time. If Afghanistan win, it will face the winner of Saudi Arabia-Iraq for the 9 place decider on Saturday.

Japan, Iran, Austraia and UAE booked the semi-final births. This means one of them will miss out the World Cup, since Asia has only 3 spots.

Afghanistan Suffers a Heavy Defeat in Hands of Oman

Afghanistan suffered a heavy defeat in the hands of Oman in its second match in the Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier. Oman scored a brace in the first round, adding 3 and 2 more goals in the second and third rounds respectively.

The match was not covered live by any TV channels. The AFF officials complain about the bias of the referee, however, no other source pointed out to this issue. Oman finished runners-up in the previous qualifier.

Afghanistan is going to meet Australia in its final group match tomorrow.

Afghanistan: First Day of Practic Camp in Dubai

Afghanistan Starts Beach World Cup Qualifier in Style

Afghanistan started its campaign in the Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier (Asia) in style be beating the host country, Qatar. While Afghanistan started the match with cautious and received the first goal, it went on collecting all 3 points beating Qatar 7-3. Sami Mohammadi scored 5 times and Ali Raza Yaqoubi scored twice for Afghanistan, while the Afghan keeper showed heroic skills in defending Afghanistan's net.

It was a full of events match as one of Qatari players received two yellow cards and was sent off from the pitch after the second interval. The referee had also a controversial decision after he reversed his decision of giving a yellow card to a Qatari player and a penalty kick to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is in Group A along with host Qatar, Oman and Australia. Afghanistan is playing Oman today (4:45 Kabul time) while Australia is playing Qatar (9:45 Kabul time).

Only one team from each group will qualify for the semi-final.

Live Broacast of Afghanistan v. Qatar (Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier)

Afghanistan's 3 Sport channel is broadcasting live the matches of group A of AFC Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier. Afghanistan, Oman, Australia and host Qatar are featuring in this group.Tamadon TV is also going to broadcast tonight's match.

Afghanistan v. Qatar: Tonight at 9:45 Kabul time

Live Stream:  http://www.ustream.tv/BeachSoccerWorldWide?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Challenge Cup Qualifier Preparation to Start in Dubai Tomorrow

Afghanistan Football Team is beginning its practice camp ahead of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in Dubai tomorrow. 35 players are invited to join the camp where 23 will be selected for the final squad which would fight with Laos, Mongolia and Sri Lanka early March over a spot in the final tournament to be held in April 2014 in the Maldives.

Kargar has invited 14 players from inside the country most of whom features in the inaugural Premier League of Afghanistan and 21 Afghan players who are playing Asian, European or American countries.After this initial 10 day camp, AFF will hold another 10 day camp in Dubai in late February for the final squad. There are rumors Afghanistan might play UAE senior or youth teams as well.

Afghanistan to Meet Qatar in Beach Soccer Today

The National Beach Soccer of Afghanistan reached Doha yesterday where it will compete in the Asian Qualifier for Beach Soccer World Cup 2013. Afghanistan will start its campaign tomorrow against host Qatar late at night (9:45 pm Kabul time).

Afghanistan will meet Oman at 4:45 pm (Kabul time)on January 23 and Australia on its last group encounter at 6:00 pm (Kabul time).

Jersey: Afghanistan National Beach Soccer Team

Afghanistan and Bahrain Look for Ties in Football

The Secretary General of Afghanistan Football Federation will leave for Bahrain tomorrow to discuss issues related to football. The trip is taking place at the request of Bahrain's football officials.

In recent years, a number of Arab countries are helping Afghanistan in different sports. UAE, for example, has supported Afghanistan when it allowed Afghanistan to hold its practice camps in Dubai. In addition, Qatar has supported Afghanistan Beach Football Team in its campaign in the Beach Football World Cup Qualifier.