Even after they fled their homeland four years ago, these soccer players still proudly represented their country in a FIFA tournament.
Some of the Afghan women’s national soccer team reunited — this time as refugees — to play in the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025 friendly tournament that kicked off Oct. 26, the Associated Press reported. The teammates fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and shut down women’s sports.
“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,” said former team captain and activist Khalida Popal.
The Afghan national women’s team last played its official competitive game in 2018 and then fled to Australia, the UK and parts of Europe, fearing persecution. They’ve been stripped of their official team name, but they’ve given themselves an apropos title: Afghan Women United.
“It’s really exciting to see each other, hug each other and finally share and play together,” captain Fatima Haidari, who currently lives in Italy, told the AP. “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.”
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, the international soccer governing body, presented the players with an Afghan Women United shirt signed by the whole team after their final game against Libya.
“This is the beginning of a beautiful, beautiful story that you are writing for yourselves, for your families, for so many girls and women all over the world,” he told them.
Teams from Chad, Libya and Tunisia also participated in the tournament, which ran through Saturday. The Afghan team sees participation in the tournament as a first step toward recognition, but according to FIFA rules, the team still cannot represent its country in Women’s World Cup qualifying championships.
“I’m glad the girls are playing,” Popal acknowledged. But, “Is it enough?” she continued. “No. But it’s a good start.”
