DID Press: In the third round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, Afghanistan national football team will face Pakistan.
Afghanistan Football Federation announced that national team will play against Pakistan on October 9 and 14 at Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad.
Afghanistan competes in Group E alongside Myanmar, Syria, and Pakistan. In the group’s opening match on March 24, Afghanistan lost 2-1 to Myanmar. In their second match on June 10, the team was defeated 1-0 by Syria.
The qualification stage involves 24 teams divided into six groups, with only the top team from each group advancing to the Asian Cup. Teams play home-and-away matches, and the six group winners will join 18 teams that have already qualified, completing the 24-team lineup for the tournament.
Group breakdown for the qualifiers:
Group A: Tajikistan, Philippines, Maldives, East Timor
Group B: Lebanon, Yemen, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam
Group C: India, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Bangladesh
Group D: Thailand, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka
Group E: Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan
Group F: Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Laos.