Iran vs Afghanistan Prediction and Betting Tips

Iran and Afghanistan get the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup underway when they lock horns at the Hisor Central Stadium on Friday. This is the second edition of the biennial competition for Central Asian nations and Iran will be looking to defend their title, following their triumph in 2023.

Iran capped off a solid World Cup qualifying campaign last time out as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over North Korea in the Group A finale at the Azadi Stadium.

Amir Ghalenoei’s men, who are currently 20th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, finished with seven wins, two draws and one loss from their 10 group matches to collect 23 points and clinch top of the table to secure an automatic spot in the 2026 World Cup.

Iran now get underway in the CAFA Nations League, where they will be looking to pick up successive titles after beating Uzbekistan 1-0 in the final of the tournament’s inaugural edition back in 2023.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan were left empty-handed yet again as they fell to a 1-0 loss against Syria in Group E of the AFC Asian Cup last time out.

Ashley Westwood’s men have now lost six back-to-back matches across all competitions, a run which saw them finish rock bottom in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers.

Afghanistan now return to action in the CAFA Nations League, where they lost their two games back in 2023 to crash out in the group stages.

Iran vs Afghanistan Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

This will be just the fourth meeting between Iran and Afghanistan, with Team Melli picking up two wins and one draw from their previous three encounters.
Their most recent meeting came in the CAFA Nations Cup back in 2023, when Iran secured an emphatic 6-1 victory in the group stages at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium.
Iran are unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 matches across all competitions, claiming 10 wins and three draws since the start of March.
Afghanistan are on a run of six back-to-back defeats and have failed to win 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions (8L, 2D) since November 2023.

Iran vs Afghanistan Prediction

Afghanistan's form is currently nothing to write home about and they have their work cut out against a significantly superior Iran side who will be looking to kick off their title defence on a high.

Given the gulf in class and quality between the two nations, we are backing Team Melli to come out on top and extend their dominance in this fixture.

Prediction: Iran 3-0 Afghanistan

Iran vs Afghanistan Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Iran to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in five of Iran’s last seven matches)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in six of Iran’s last seven games)

About the author

Joshua is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda who covers news and match previews. He fell in love with the sport watching Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o win titles at club and international level, and his passion for the sport led him to become a professional football writer. He has an overall professional experience of 5 years.

Joshua supports Chelsea at club level, having witnessed a number of African stars break records with the club. Drogba’s equalizing header and match-winning shootout penalty for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final left a last impact on him. His favorite player is Eden Hazard and favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who gave him the most joyous days as a Blues supporter. He believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlucky to be born in Messi’s era and favors the Argentine in the G.O.A.T. debate.

Joshua also follows the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Nigeria Professional Football League and loves to play football during his free time. Having attained a B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, he employs his problem-solving skills in crafting articles while doing extensive research to ensure each article is well thought out and crafted.

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Edited by Ashwin

Iran vs Afghanistan Prediction and Betting Tips | August 29th 2025

Iran vs Afghanistan Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

Iran vs Afghanistan Prediction

Iran vs Afghanistan Betting Tips