Kuwait aims for a win over Afghanistan to advance in World Cup qualifiers

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KUWAIT CITY, June 9: Kuwait will conduct its final training session this evening at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium in preparation for hosting the Afghanistan national team tomorrow. This match is part of the sixth and final round of Group A competitions within the joint Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

After returning from India on Friday, where it played to a scoreless draw in the fifth round, Kuwait conducted two training sessions on the sub-field of Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. To advance, Kuwait needs to win and hope that India either draws or loses to Qatar on the same day.

Immediately upon returning from India, the team entered an internal camp to raise concentration levels for the decisive match against Afghanistan. Portuguese coach Rui Pinto emphasized the importance of exploiting every opportunity and avoiding wasted chances, as happened in the match against India. He also stressed the necessity of team play and adherence to assigned roles, avoiding individual play.

The technical staff is awaiting a medical report on defender Khaled Ibrahim, who underwent medical examinations the day before yesterday. Ibrahim was unable to complete the last match against India due to a muscle injury sustained fifteen minutes before the end of the game. If Ibrahim cannot play against Afghanistan, Fahd Al-Hajri will replace him, as he did in the India match.

 A press conference for the match will be held at 12:30 pm today in the meeting room at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, featuring a coach and a player from each team. The press conference will be preceded by a technical meeting at 11:00 am at the same venue.

The Asian Football Confederation has rescheduled the match between Kuwait and Afghanistan to 6:45 pm, instead of the previously scheduled 8:45 pm. This change aligns the timing of the match with the one between Qatar and India in Doha, which is also in the same group.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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