2025 CAFA Nations Cup
Updated: 12/11/2025, 8:14:16 AM Wikipedia source
The 2025 CAFA Nations Cup was the second edition of the CAFA Nations Cup, the biennial international men's football championship of Central Asia organized by the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). The event was held in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from August 29 to September 8. Iran were the defending champions. The final took place on 8 September at the Olympic City Stadium in Tashkent, between hosts Uzbekistan and Iran. Uzbekistan won the match 1–0 to claim their first CAFA Nations Cup title.
Infobox
Host countries
TajikistanUzbekistan
Dates
29 August – 8 September
Teams
8 (from 3 sub-confederations)
Venue
3 (in 2 host cities)
Champions
Uzbekistan (1st title)
Runners-up
Iran
Third place
India
Fourth place
Oman
Matches played
14
Goals scored
36 (2.57 per match)
Top scorer(s)
Igor Sergeev(3 goals)
Best player
Khojiakbar Alijonov
Best goalkeeper
Payam Niazmand
Fair play award
Tajikistan
Tables
· Participating nations
160
160
Country
Afghanistan
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Group stage (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
160
127
127
Country
India (invitee)
Appearance
1st
Previous best performance
—
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
127
18
18
Country
Iran
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Winners (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
18
103
103
Country
Kyrgyzstan
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Fourth place (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
103
77
77
Country
Oman (invitee)
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Third place (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
77
104
104
Country
Tajikistan (co-hosts)
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Group stage (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
104
142
142
Country
Turkmenistan
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Group stage (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
142
57
57
Country
Uzbekistan (co-hosts)
Appearance
2nd
Previous best performance
Runners-up (2023)
FIFA ranking(3 April 2025)
57
| Country | Appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking(3 April 2025) |
| Afghanistan | 2nd | Group stage (2023) | 160 |
| India (invitee) | 1st | — | 127 |
| Iran | 2nd | Winners (2023) | 18 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2nd | Fourth place (2023) | 103 |
| Oman (invitee) | 2nd | Third place (2023) | 77 |
| Tajikistan (co-hosts) | 2nd | Group stage (2023) | 104 |
| Turkmenistan | 2nd | Group stage (2023) | 142 |
| Uzbekistan (co-hosts) | 2nd | Runners-up (2023) | 57 |
· Participating nations › Seeding
mw- .mw- Iran (18) Uzbekistan (57) (co-hosts)
mw- .mw- Iran (18) Uzbekistan (57) (co-hosts)
Pot 1
mw- .mw- Iran (18) Uzbekistan (57) (co-hosts)
Pot 2
Kyrgyzstan (103) Tajikistan (104) (co-hosts)
Pot 3
Turkmenistan (142) Afghanistan (160)
Pot 4
Oman (77) (invitee) India (127) (invitee)
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| mw- Iran (18) Uzbekistan (57) (co-hosts) | Kyrgyzstan (103) Tajikistan (104) (co-hosts) | Turkmenistan (142) Afghanistan (160) | Oman (77) (invitee) India (127) (invitee) |
Group A
A1
A1
mw- Pos
A1
Team
Uzbekistan
A2
A2
mw- Pos
A2
Team
Kyrgyzstan
A3
A3
mw- Pos
A3
Team
Turkmenistan
A4
A4
mw- Pos
A4
Team
Oman
| mw- Pos | Team |
| A1 | Uzbekistan |
| A2 | Kyrgyzstan |
| A3 | Turkmenistan |
| A4 | Oman |
Group B
B1
B1
Pos
B1
Team
Tajikistan
B2
B2
Pos
B2
Team
Iran
B3
B3
Pos
B3
Team
Afghanistan
B4
B4
Pos
B4
Team
India
| Pos | Team |
| B1 | Tajikistan |
| B2 | Iran |
| B3 | Afghanistan |
| B4 | India |
· Venues
Hisor
Hisor
Tajikistan
Hisor
Tajikistan
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Hisor Central Stadium
Hisor Central Stadium
Tajikistan
Hisor Central Stadium
Capacity: 20,000
Capacity: 20,000
Tajikistan
Capacity: 20,000
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Tashkent
Tashkent
Tajikistan
Tashkent
Tajikistan
Tashkent2025 CAFA Nations Cup (Uzbekistan)
Olympic City Stadium
Olympic City Stadium
Tajikistan
Olympic City Stadium
Tajikistan
JAR Stadium
Capacity: 12,000
Capacity: 12,000
Tajikistan
Capacity: 12,000
Tajikistan
Capacity: 8,500
| Tajikistan | ||
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| Hisor Central Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 20,000 | ||
| Uzbekistan | ||
| Tashkent | Tashkent2025 CAFA Nations Cup (Uzbekistan) | |
| Olympic City Stadium | JAR Stadium | |
| Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 8,500 | |
| | | |
· Group stage › Group A
1
1
Pos
1
Team
Uzbekistan (H)
Pld
3
W
2
D
1
L
0
GF
7
GA
2
GD
+5
Pts
7
Qualification
Advance to final
2
2
Pos
2
Team
Oman
Pld
3
W
2
D
1
L
0
GF
5
GA
3
GD
+2
Pts
7
Qualification
Advance to third place match
3
3
Pos
3
Team
Turkmenistan
Pld
3
W
0
D
1
L
2
GF
3
GA
5
GD
−2
Pts
1
4
4
Pos
4
Team
Kyrgyzstan
Pld
3
W
0
D
1
L
2
GF
2
GA
7
GD
−5
Pts
1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Uzbekistan (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 | Advance to final |
| 2 | Oman | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | Advance to third place match |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 | |
| 4 | Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 1 |
· Group stage › Group B
1
1
Pos
1
Team
Iran
Pld
3
W
2
D
1
L
0
GF
8
GA
3
GD
+5
Pts
7
Qualification
Advance to final
2
2
Pos
2
Team
India
Pld
3
W
1
D
1
L
1
GF
2
GA
4
GD
−2
Pts
4
Qualification
Advance to third place match
3
3
Pos
3
Team
Tajikistan (H)
Pld
3
W
1
D
1
L
1
GF
5
GA
4
GD
+1
Pts
4
4
4
Pos
4
Team
Afghanistan
Pld
3
W
0
D
1
L
2
GF
1
GA
5
GD
−4
Pts
1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Iran | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | Advance to final |
| 2 | India | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 4 | Advance to third place match |
| 3 | Tajikistan (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
· Broadcasting rights
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Territory
Uzbekistan
Rights holder(s)
UZ NTRC Sport
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Territory
Kyrgyzstan
Rights holder(s)
Kyrgyz Sport TV
Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Territory
Tajikistan
Rights holder(s)
TV Futbol
Iran
Iran
Territory
Iran
Rights holder(s)
IRIB TV3
India
India
Territory
India
Rights holder(s)
FanCode
International
International
Territory
International
Rights holder(s)
The PRO CompanyFIFA+ TV (final and third-place match only)
| Territory | Rights holder(s) |
| Uzbekistan | UZ NTRC Sport |
| Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyz Sport TV |
| Tajikistan | TV Futbol |
| Iran | IRIB TV3 |
| India | FanCode |
| International | The PRO CompanyFIFA+ TV (final and third-place match only) |
References
- India replaced Malaysia in Group B after the latter's withdrawal.
- Head-to-head points: India 3, Tajikistan 0.
- Tehran Timeshttps://www.tehrantimes.com/news/517726/10-man-Iran-runners-up-at-2025-CAFA-Nations-Cup
- KUN.uzhttps://kun.uz/en/news/2025/09/09/uzbekistan-defeats-iran-to-win-cafa-2025-cup
- "Iran to play friendly matches against Russia and Chile – PersianFootball.com"https://www.persianfootball.com/news/2025/04/07/iran-to-play-friendly-matches-against-russia-and-chile/
- 24.KGhttps://24.kg/english/316069_Central_Asian_Football_Association_CAFA_changes_its_logo/
- Zamin.uzhttps://zamin.uz/en/sport/153326-cafa-nations-cup-2025-a-championship-with-fierce-competition-and-new-guests.html
- Qalampir.uzhttps://www.qalampir.uz/en/news/uzbekiston-futbol-buyicha-yirik-musobak-aga-mezbonlik-k-iladi-120850
- Zamin.uzhttps://zamin.uz/en/sport/154674-why-did-malaysia-withdraw-from-the-cafa-nations-cup-2025.html
- MSNhttps://www.msn.com/en-my/news/other/malaysia-s-withdrawal-from-cafa-nations-cup-disrupts-tournament-plans/ar-AA1IIVad
- www.the-aiff.comhttps://www.the-aiff.com/article/india-to-play-cafa-nations-cup-2025
- Official Draw | CAFA NATIONS CUP 2025https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6fTeNuAf3E
- Free Malaysia Todayhttps://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2025/07/03/harimau-malaya-drawn-with-iran-in-cafa-nations-cup
- AIFF Media Teamhttps://www.the-aiff.com/article/india-to-play-cafa-nations-cup-2025
- Zamin.uzhttps://zamin.uz/en/sport/159955-cafa-nations-cup-2025-winners-announced-uzbekistan-stars-shine.html
- "Instagram"https://www.instagram.com/p/DN5estpgTFS/
- "CAFA Nations Cup 2025 Football, Watch Live, Videos, Highlights & info"https://www.fancode.com/football/tour/cafa-nations-cup-2025-18962246/
- "The PRO Company to Represent CAFA Media Rights Internationally"https://pro-company.com/news/the-pro-company-to-represent-cafa-media-rights-internationally
- FIFA+https://www.plus.fifa.com/en/showcase/central-asian-football-association/ea472f17-f28a-4667-b2a5-68721f984d9a?gl=us
- Xhttps://x.com/CAFAssociation/status/1960370694715281630
- "Tajikistan's leading national telecom operator TOJIKTELECOM has become an official sponsor of the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 | Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus"https://asiaplustj.info/en/news/sports/20250825/tajikistans-leading-national-telecom-operator-tojiktelecom-has-become-an-official-sponsor-of-the-cafa-nations-cup-2025
- Xhttps://x.com/CAFAssociation/status/1958818141280084032