Bhutan’s Paro FC will take on Afghanistan’s Abu Muslim Farah FC at Changlimithang Stadium tomorrow in a decisive AFC Challenge League 2026/27 Preliminary Stage encounter, with both sides eyeing a coveted place in the group stage.
The one-leg playoff will kick off at 6 PM, leaving no room for error as the winner moves on in the continental competition.
Both teams completed their official training sessions at Changlimithang Stadium today, putting the finishing touches on preparations for the crucial fixture. At the pre-match press conference this afternoon, the coaches and captains of both clubs expressed confidence in their squads while acknowledging the challenge awaiting them.
Paro FC enter the contest as six-time consecutive Bhutan Premier League champions and will also carry the memory of defeating Abu Muslim Farah FC 1-0 at the same stage of the competition last season.
However, the Bhutanese champions are not reading too much into that result.
Paro FC head coach Pushpalal Sharma said his side has closely studied the Afghan champions, assessing their individual players, style of play and recent recruitment before preparing its approach for tomorrow’s encounter.
“The Afghan League got over in December, a huge distance from there as well. Due to the situation in Iran, some players would not have been able to train properly. Nevertheless, as my captain says, what is going to happen is completely different from what it was before. We are prepared for a new set of games. All the players are ready and prepared for the game tomorrow,” Sharma said.
Paro FC captain Tomoyuki Hanazato echoed the coach’s cautious approach, stressing that last season’s victory would have little bearing on the new contest.
“The team, the players, everything is different. This is a new challenge, a new game. It doesn’t matter if we won last season; it doesn’t mean anything tomorrow. We have to do our best. We have to do what we have done so far and what we have prepared. That is the most important thing,” Hanazato said.
Abu Muslim Farah FC, meanwhile, arrive determined to reverse last season’s outcome. The Afghan side has undergone considerable changes to its squad and prepared for the continental fixture with a training camp in Iran.
Head coach Masoud Nazarzada said his team has studied Paro FC’s recent performances, paying particular attention to how the Bhutanese champions operate both with and without the ball.
“We have watched Paro FC’s last few games and studied how they attack and defend. But tomorrow will be a different game, and we are ready for any challenge,” Nazarzada said.
Captain Amanullah Sardari said the addition of several new players and the team’s preparations in Iran had given Abu Muslim Farah FC confidence ahead of the playoff.
“Tomorrow is a different match because we changed a lot of players in our team. We added new players to our team. We are preparing very well. We prepared very well. We had a good training camp in Iran. We played a quality match with a strong team. We know it will not be an easy game. We will try to achieve a good result,” Sardari said.
Tomorrow’s fixture is part of an 18-team Preliminary Stage involving clubs from South, Central and Southeast Asia.
With only nine teams progressing, the stakes at Changlimithang Stadium could hardly be higher. For Paro FC, it is an opportunity to repeat last season’s success and continue Bhutan’s representation on the continental stage. For Abu Muslim Farah FC, it offers a chance to settle an old score and turn a revamped squad into a place in the next round.
The nine Preliminary Stage winners will qualify for the AFC Challenge League group stage, scheduled to begin later this month.
