First International Football Match Held in Afghanistan After 25 Years - 2003-11-24

The Afghan national football team played its first home international match in 25 years on Sunday, as part of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers in a stadium that the Taliban government had previously used for the execution of Afghan citizens. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), citing the Associated Press, the match, attended by 2,500 Afghan spectators, ended with a score of 2-0 in favor of the Turkmenistan national team. Afghanistan had also lost its away match against Turkmenistan with a score of 11-0, and the players attributed their defeat to the fatigue from a 40-hour bus journey to Turkmenistan. The last official football match held in Afghanistan dates back to 1979, before the Soviet invasion of the country. The Taliban government, which came to power in 1996, initially banned football but later announced that players must wear full socks, long trousers, and long-sleeved shirts during matches and must interrupt games for prayer. The Afghan national football team is ranked 198th out of 203 countries by FIFA, but has shown improvement compared to the Asian Games in South Korea, where they conceded 32 goals in three matches.