Afghanistan’s national futsal team opened its campaign at the 2026 Continental Futsal Championship with a 6–1 defeat to the host nation, Thailand, on Sunday in Nonthaburi.
Afghanistan produced a disciplined performance in the first half and conceded only once, going into the break trailing 1–0.
Thailand, however, dominated the second half, scoring five additional goals to extend its lead. Afghanistan managed to pull one goal back, but the hosts secured a convincing 6–1 victory at the final whistle.
The tournament features five teams—Afghanistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia and New Zealand. Following the opening defeat, Afghanistan will now shift its focus to its second group-stage match against Vietnam as it looks to keep its hopes alive in the competition.
The match marked the first appearance of Afghanistan’s national futsal team under new head coach Dejan Dedović, a Serbian futsal coach appointed earlier this year. The game also represented the beginning of a new chapter for the Afghan side, with a newly formed technical staff taking charge of the team’s preparations and international campaign.
