Four years after players from the Afghanistan women’s national team fled their homeland amid the Taliban’s takeover, a number of the teammates are representing their country again in a soccer tournament — only this time as refugees.
The tournament represents a first major step in the fight to be officially recognized as a national team on the global stage. Collectively, they call themselves Afghan Women United.
“It’s really exciting to see each other, hug each other and finally share and play together,” said captain Fatima Haidari, who lives in Italy. “As an athlete I say, you will face challenges and difficulties in your life, but you always can overcome and never give up. Never give up.”
### A New Beginning in Morocco
Kicking off the tournament, FIFA — soccer’s international governing body — is staging a four-team friendly event in Morocco that includes the refugee team along with Chad, Libya, and Tunisia. The event, dubbed FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025, started Sunday.
The tournament comes after years of lobbying by players, former captain and activist Khalida Popal, and human rights groups to facilitate the team’s return to competition.
“With all the challenges that we have been through, all the barriers that we faced, finally, after four years and some months, the girls are playing football as the Afghan team,” Popal said, “but with no title.”
“I’m glad the girls are playing. Is it enough? No. But it’s a good start.”
### Challenges Along the Way
Originally set for Dubai, the tournament was to include Chad, Libya, and the host United Arab Emirates. However, media reports from Australia indicated that some players were unable to obtain visas. FIFA didn’t provide a reason for moving the event to Morocco.
The Afghan women’s national team last played an official competitive game in 2018. The Taliban’s return to power in 2021 shut down all women’s sports. However, even before the team’s demise, the Afghan soccer federation was under investigation for misconduct involving the women’s program, including grave allegations of rape and physical abuse.
Keramuddin Keram, the federation president, was banned for life by FIFA.
As the Taliban took over, the players fled Afghanistan, fearing persecution. Some have recounted harrowing ordeals — burning their kits to avoid detection and scrambling to escape.
“We faced challenges or difficulties that I don’t even want to remember because it was really bitter,” Haidari said. “It is about leaving your homeland and all your friends, family, and all the people that you know. What makes me sad is there are still some girls and women that are not playing, but they hope to be on the international pitch like us, like we are here now. We want to be their voice.”
### Looking Ahead
While many players have settled in Australia, others are spread across Europe and the United States. FIFA held identification camps in Australia and England, calling in 70 players before narrowing down the roster to 23 for the tournament, coach Pauline Hamill said.
“We want to show what we can do in the future, we want to show our potential. And then it’s about, from this starting point, how we then move forward,” Hamill explained. “So to get back on the pitch for these players is a big win. They’ve been waiting a long time. And this tournament gives us the perfect chance to play matches together and then be really excited about the future.”
Although the Afghan federation has obligations under FIFA statutes to avoid discrimination, it has not been suspended from international soccer despite failing to acknowledge the women’s team. Players and their advocates have fought for official recognition.
In May, the FIFA Council approved the Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football. However, the team cannot yet represent Afghanistan in Women’s World Cup qualifying or Asian championships.
While the tournament in Morocco marks a first step, the ultimate goal is to become independent of FIFA, Popal said. Still, she emphasized that the players are grateful to the organization for making this important move.
Popal added that the players are seeking meaningful recognition as a national team and an independent national soccer federation “to actually govern the teams, to make sure girls are not silenced.”
“Our players have been fighting for that right for so long,” Popal said. “Of course, there’s no governance in this initiative and the pilot, but we would love to have it in the future.”
### The Dream Lives On
Afghan Women United fell 6-1 in their first match to Chad on Sunday in Casablanca, with Manozh Noori scoring the lone goal for the refugee team.
For the players, the games are not about wins and losses. They are making a statement.
“I feel safe. I feel free as a girl, as a woman, to have a normal life, to play, to dream,” Haidari said. “Actually that’s why, not only in my dreams, but I carry the dreams of all girls and women in Afghanistan that want to play.”
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