The Afghanistan national futsal team suffered a heavy 6–1 defeat against host nation Thailand in their opening match of the 2026 Continental Futsal Championship. The match took place at the Nonthaburi Hall in Thailand, with the first half concluding 1–0 in favor of the hosts.
Afghanistan faced an even tougher uphill battle in the second half following the ejection of starting goalkeeper Ahmad Esmaili, subsequently conceding several more goals. Ultimately, Dejan Dedović's side fell 6–1 to the home team.
Ahmad Esmaili, who stepped into the starting lineup in place of injured primary goalkeeper Mohammad Javad Safari, had delivered a solid performance until his dismissal. However, he received a straight red card after handling the ball outside the penalty area.
Following Esmaili’s expulsion, Ali Ahmad Mohseni took over between the posts, but Afghanistan went on to concede five more goals. Seeking a turnaround, the Afghan coaching staff opted for the power-play tactic, which allowed Mohammad Moradi to score Afghanistan's sole goal of the match though it proved insufficient to prevent the heavy defeat.
While Afghanistan conceded only once in the first half, their defensive structure collapsed in the second period, allowing five additional goals. Capitalizing on their numerical advantage and home-court momentum, Thailand convincingly controlled the remainder of the match.
With this second consecutive victory, Thailand consolidated its position at the top of the standings with six points. The tournament, featuring national teams from Afghanistan, Thailand, Russia, Vietnam, and New Zealand, runs from July 31 to August 5, 2026.
Looking ahead, Afghanistan will aim for better results as they face Vietnam on August 2, Russia on August 4, and New Zealand on August 5.
Afghanistan enters the tournament severely shorthanded, missing key players Mohammad Javad Safari and Mahdi Norouzi due to injuries, alongside Hamid Reza Hosseini due to personal reasons absences that clearly impacted the squad's lineup and performance in their opening fixture.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
