Afghanistan’s national futsal team opened their campaign at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 with a 3-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Reza Hussainpour scored twice and Omid Ghanbari added another goal as Afghanistan secured all three points in the Group D match, played in Jakarta.
Hussainpour gave Afghanistan the lead in the first half to put his side 1-0 ahead at the break, before adding a second after halftime. Ghanbari sealed the win with a late goal.
Afghanistan are competing in Group D alongside Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Iran. They are scheduled to face Malaysia on Friday before taking on Iran on Sunday.
The team arrived in Indonesia earlier this week after completing a training camp in Thailand, according to the national football federation.
Head coach Majid Rezaei said ahead of the tournament that Afghanistan faced a tough group but had prepared carefully for all matches.
“Our group is very difficult and no opponent is easy,” Rezaei said at a pre-tournament news conference. “Iran, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia are all strong and well-prepared teams.”
The AFC Futsal Asian Cup serves as a key continental competition and a pathway for qualification to major international tournaments.
