FIFA said it will create a women’s football team made up of Afghan refugees living outside the country, offering them a chance to play friendly matches though not yet recognizing the squad as Afghanistan’s official national team.
The move comes after Afghan women have been barred from all sporting activity inside Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The last official appearance by Afghanistan’s women’s national team in competitive play was in 2018.
In a statement, FIFA said its council had approved a new strategy to support Afghan women’s football, including the establishment of a team to be known as the “Afghan Women’s Refugee Team.” The governing body said it is in direct talks with players and hopes to launch the team’s activities “as soon as possible.”
While the Afghanistan Football Federation is bound by FIFA statutes to promote women’s sports and combat discrimination, it has yet to fulfill those commitments and has not been suspended by FIFA.
Exiled Afghan players have repeatedly called for official recognition as Afghanistan’s national team and the right to compete in international qualifiers, including the Women’s World Cup and Asian championships. That request remains unmet, but some see the refugee team as a first step toward restoring Afghan women’s presence in global football.
