Iran aim to continue dominating in Asia futsal

TEHRAN – Iran are counting on their revamped squad to take them all the way at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 when they take on Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia in Group D.

Their three challengers, however, are equally determined to produce their best in the race for the knockout stage, the-afc.com.

Despite reclaiming the title from Japan in 2024, Vahid Shamsaee will oversee an Iranian side in a rebuilding phase as they strive to be better continentally as well as globally.

The 50-year-old believes that Iran, despite their success, cannot rest on their laurels in their bid to continue dominating the sport in Asia.

“We can’t stay in the past,” said Shamsaee “The last win is over. In the last three years – especially after the last World Cup – we had a lot of changes in the team.

“It’s part of the process to have different players but this tournament is really important.”

Malaysia head coach Addie Azwan – who only recently took over from Rakhphol Sainetngam – vowed to present a formidable challenge to the other teams.

“Since I took over, we only had eight days of preparations,” said Addie. “Just like the Qualifiers, we are in the same group as Iran.

“We are not here just to make up the numbers. We want to show that Malaysian futsal is improving and that we can fight. Even though our ranking is not good, we want to give other teams a challenge.”

The match will be held at the Jakarta International Velodrome.