Afghanistan's under-18 futsal team made a commanding start to the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, beating Panama 5-0 in their Group A opener in Dakar on Monday. Five different players scored, Reza Karimi, Farhad Nazari, Hossein Hassani, Alireza Ahmadi and Mohammad Akbari, according to results released by the Afghanistan Football Federation.
The win gives Afghanistan a strong start in a group that also includes hosts Senegal and Argentina. They face Argentina on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Senegal on Saturday, Nov. 7. The top two teams from each group reach the semi-finals on Nov. 9, with the bronze-medal match and final set for Nov. 12.
Afghanistan's youth futsal programme has been strong in regional competition, and its under-17 side won gold at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, beating Iran 2-1 in the final. Group B of the eight-team tournament features Portugal, Morocco, Paraguay and the Solomon Islands.
The Dakar Youth Olympic Games opened on Oct. 31 and run until Nov. 13. They are the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa, with about 2,700 young athletes competing in 25 sports.