Afghanistan played its first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan this month, rubbing shoulders against top teams like Argentina, Paraguay and Ukraine before being knocked out.
Despite the loss, its men in white and red in Tashkent met with applause from hundreds of fired-up Afghan fans in the stadium, as seen live on a local Afghan television channel.
The World Cup campaign might have ended, but for many young Afghans, the steady rise of the Afghan team has been a powerful motivator.