2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Rival Watch: Afghanistan

After failing to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Afghanistan have not played any competitive football in 2024.

India are set to face Afghanistan in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers game in the upcoming international break. After the previous qualifier ended in a poor defeat to Qatar and coming off the dismal AFC Asian Cup campaign, the Blue Tigers strive for redemption.

However, they will not be facing an easy task against the Lions of Khorasan. Even though the Afghanistan football team has their own ongoing problems, they still have some decent quality that can stun the Blue Tigers. Afghanistan are aware of their underdogs tag in their World Cup qualifier group but their fighting spirit means they’ll treat the next two games like finales. Here is everything you need to know about the Afghanistan football team before the upcoming clashes.

About The Team

Afghanistan have been playing international football since the early 1940s and actually held Iran to a draw in their first-ever game.  History, however hasn’t been that kind to the Lions of Khorasan. They have very rarely tasted any genuine success in international competitions and failed to really prosper as a footballing nation.

With that being said, Afghanistan won the SAFF Championship in 2013 – defeating India in the final! They came as runners-up in the 2011 and 2015 editions too, while also winning the Silver Medal in the 2010 South Asian Games. Afghanistan, however, have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or an AFC Asian Cup edition.

Recent Performances

After failing to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Afghanistan have not played any competitive football in 2024. Their national team has had its own share of controversies over the last year or so. Before their previous World Cup qualifiers in November (against Qatar and Kuwait) – 18 of their national players boycotted the matches as a sign of protest against what they described as substandard treatment and corruption within the Football Federation.

Afghanistan lost both their first two World Cup qualifiers in embarrassing fashion, with a 8-1 defeat to Qatar being followed by a 4-0 loss to Kuwait. Before that, however, the Lions of Khorasan did defeat Mongolia in the World Cup qualifiers first round to reach the second round group.

The Coach

Ashley Westwood is someone who is definitely well-accustomed to Indian Football. The former Sheffield Wednesday defender’s first major managerial role was as the head coach of Bengaluru FC (2013-2016) – helping them win two I-League titles and a Federation Cup. After that, he also worked as a technical director and interim head coach at ATK in the 2017-18 season and one season as Roundglass Punjab FC’s manager (2021-22).

Westwood took over the role of Afghanistan’s national team head coach in November, 2023. He has only been able to manage two games, but hasn’t even been able to use some of the country’s best footballers because of the boycott. As a result, he was unable to save them from the torrid losses to Qatar and Kuwait. The Englishman opted to shape his side in a 4-4-2 defensive formation, urging the midfielders to sit back – but that didn’t work out well at all.

Westwood is known for encouraging a fast counter-attack football system, which helped Bengaluru to so much of success. He is also known for his team’s sturdy defensive organization and compactness. Even though the 47-year-old maybe have pointers on how the Indian team players are and their strengths & weaknesses – he has a massive challenge ahead to get his relatively inexperienced squad to properly understand his ways in the training camp and churn out results. But knowing how stubborn Westwood’s teams can be, the upcoming matches can be frustrating ones for India if they’re not at their clinical best.

Players to Watch

Jabar Sharza

Jabar Sharza has proven to be a decent addition to the Afghanistan team and been quite the passionate player in their midfield in recent games. He has scored four goals in 12 appearances for the Lions of Khorasan, gaining a reputation for being a prolific and hard-working attacking midfielder.

The 29-year-old plays for Danish club Bronshoj, but is yet to play this season. He is versatile enough to play in both midfield and as a forward, being blessed with impressive physicality and awareness to get into the right positions. Sharza has to put his qualities to use to help his side sustain the pressure against India and also carve out positive results by taking whatever chances he gets.

Omid Popalzy

The 28-year-old has been a versatile asset for the Afghanistan national team and can cause trouble with his adaptability in the forward line. Popalzy, who currently plays for Indonesian club PSPS Riau, scored two goals and provided two assists for Lebanese side Nejmeh SC before leaving in the winter transfer window.

He also played in the AFC Cup and is at least at an optimum level in terms of match sharpness. Popalzy can play in either wings or even as a no.10, making him a valuable player for Afghanistan. He has to use his dribbling abilty, pace and trickery to cause problems to India’s defenders and really nail his crosses or shots on goal to help pull off a major result.

Zohib Amiri

The longest-serving player in the Afghanistan national team, Amiri has been playing for them for nearly 20 years now. The 34-year-old has plenty of experience playing against Indian footballers, having played for the likes of Mumbai FC, Dempo, Gokulam Kerala and most recently Real Kashmir in his career.

The AS Blainville centre-back had earned a reputation in India for being a no-nonsense, aggressive centre-back who takes prisoners. Amiri tends to play with his heart on his sleeve and puts in all he has to help his side win. The 34-year-old has to be command over his backline and work overtime to maintain a strong enough shape to frustrate the Blue Tigers. His defensive work will be pivotal in deciding whether Afghanistan suffers more bad losses or can actually scrape something out of the next two games.

What to Expect

Afghanistan are missing a number of important national team regulars because of the bitter cold war going on among some players and the football federation. However, they will not just lie down and allow India to go away with results in the international break.

Ashley Westwood knows how to frustrate his opponents with his tactics. He will work extremely hard to at least ensure his side can maintain their composure defensively and made things as difficult as possible for India.

Afghanistan’s priority will be defense-first to demoralize the Indian players and force them into mistakes. They will probably be playing in a counter-attack heavy style, look to drag opponents players into bad positions before hitting on the break.

The Lions of Khorasan are the underdogs in the upcoming matches and are likely to allow India to dominate possession as well as control the tempo of the game – but they’ll make life as difficult as possible for the Blue Tigers by at least trying to produce respectable performances and avoid a repeat of November’s thrashings.

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