They are images that are intended to give courage. Footballers in black jerseys, some of them still veiled, pursuing their passion again after years of deprivation and fear of death. For the first time, players from Afghanistan took part in an international football match since the Taliban came to power, all of them refugees in a newly united team under FIFA sovereignty.
The world association pushed ahead with the founding of this team over a period of months and organized a four-man tournament in Morocco. Dubbed “The Women’s Series 2025”, in which the team from Afghanistan will compete against Chad, Libya and Tunisia. There was a 6-1 win against Chad on Sunday, with striker Manozh Noori scoring the first goal in her historic international debut.
FIFA wants to promote rights for all women and girls
FIFA wants to underline the efforts “To promote and protect the right of all women and girls to play the sport, achieve their football dreams and grow through the game”as the world association wrote in a press release. The tournament is part of a broader strategy adopted by the FIFA Council – which also includes DFB President Bernd Neuendorf – in May and initiated for Afghan women’s football. This strategy enables players to return to the international stage. The situation remains extremely difficult for women in Afghanistan.
The activist Khalida Popal, who fled in 2011, was involved in the process. Even at the risk of her own life, she paved the way for women and girls to be able to play football in Kabul. The 38-year-old was the first captain of the team to use football as a tool against systematic oppression, but then fled in 2011 because of death threats and now lives in Denmark.
Her book “My Wonderful Sisters” vividly describes the self-sacrificing struggle to found a women’s national soccer team in Afghanistan. This year she had warned several times about her book launch: “The world has forgotten the women of Afghanistan.” At the same time, she warned against cooperating with the Taliban regime: “I don’t know what kind of cooperation there should be if the Tailban want to banish and push women out of society.”
Australia as the most important point of contact
Popal had been in contact with FIFA’s Women’s Football Commission for a long time to at least help the refugee players to play their sport again – and was listened to. The world governing body provided the financial resources to not only organize a training camp in Australia, but to build a network so that the Afghan players receive the same standards of care and opportunities as any other high-profile women’s national team, FIFA said.
The selection process included three training camps in which around 70 players from Australia and Europe presented themselves to head coach Pauline Hamill and her female support staff. The first training camp took place in Sydney under FIFA management, followed by two more at St. George’s Park National Football Center in Burton upon Trent, the home of the English national teams.
The best players fled to Australia at the time, said Popal, who organized the escape from the Taliban under dramatic circumstances. “It was cruel, difficult and stressful. I did my best to support the players in the midst of chaos. In the end, we brought more than 600 players out of Afghanistan. At the beginning the players, then their families.” At that time, most of the senior national team came to Australia, while U19 and U17 players were distributed throughout Europe, preferably in Portugal, Germany, Italy and England.
Special protection guaranteed
Player-led workshops over the past few weeks have focused on team building and tactics, wellbeing and personal development. Protection and safety were the top priority, assured the world association, which attached importance to the fact that only women worked with the team.
“We are deeply grateful that FIFA has given us this opportunity and privilege to show what women are capable of,” Captain Fatima Haidari said, according to the press release. “It’s a clear message to the world that if women want to achieve something in their lives, not just as athletes, they should be equal to men in society, especially in sport and in countries like Afghanistan, where they haven’t had the chance in recent years. This dream has come true.”
Together they are strong: the Afghanistan players get ready for their performance
FIFA expects to benefit from women in the long term
The tournament will continue with the next match days on Wednesday (October 29th, 2025) and Saturday (November 1st, 2025) and the best team will be declared the winner. FIFA assures that it will continue to offer the Afghan players an international platform while creating a safe football environment.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino also supports women’s football because he believes it will have great chances of winning in the future. The 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil should already bring a decent plus. This will be followed by an increase to 48 teams, similar to the men’s World Championships. The USA, along with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, have applied to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
The tournament will be officially awarded at the FIFA Congress on April 30, 2026 in Vancouver, Canada. Europe will most likely host a Women’s World Cup again in 2035. The quartet of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the only applicants. Germany failed with its joint offer with the Netherlands and Belgium for 2027 and is not planning a new attempt for the time being.