Three years ago, exiled Afghan players watched the 2023 Women’s World Cup from Australian cities where they were living, frustrated that they could not take the field. Since then the squad has made some gains, but the Women’s Asian Cup, which begins in Australia on March 1, highlights both renewed hope and the barriers that still prevent them from playing regular international football.
Defender Mursal Sadat said she cried watching the World Cup because it reminded her of the freedom she had to play before the Taliban returned in 2021. She hopes Afghanistan will be competing again by the next set of qualifiers.
Last October the team, calling itself Afghan Women United, reached a milestone when FIFA recognized the side and they took part in a friendly tournament in Morocco. That moment capped a four-year campaign to be heard. Four months on, however, they have not played another fixture.
UK-based goalkeeper Elaha Safdari described the Morocco trip as an important step but said it was only the start. She and her teammates are staying disciplined, training hard and relying on staff to build more chances to play.
FIFA has since said Afghanistan will face two unnamed opponents during the June international window, with details to follow. Players based in Europe held a training camp in Doncaster, England, earlier this month; those based in Australia are expected to hold a camp later in the year.
Given the team’s fight for recognition, the trauma many players have endured and a four-year gap in international competition, qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil was always unlikely. The March Asian Cup will decide which Asian teams get places for Brazil 2027: semifinalists qualify automatically while quarterfinal losers head into playoffs for remaining slots.
Last October’s visa problems underlined how geopolitics can interrupt sport. The UAE had agreed to host and face the Afghan side but then refused entry to the players, forcing a last-minute move of the tournament to Morocco. FIFA has not explained the UAE’s reversal; many involved — including players — suspect broader political ties and considerations related to the Taliban played a role.
Alison Battisson, the Australian human rights lawyer who helped the team find asylum and remains in close contact with the players, said the UAE’s ability to issue visas quickly makes the refusal highly unusual. She suggested a senior decisionmaker may have intervened, prioritizing other economic or political interests over support for women’s sport.
FIFA’s silence about the UAE episode has increased uncertainty. The organization did announce on December 29 the launch of a new annual world football awards event in Dubai, a choice that drew scrutiny given the earlier visa refusal. It is unlikely Afghan Women United players would be able to attend such an event in the UAE.
Players say they are grateful for FIFA’s recognition, but it is hard to reconcile that backing with apparent acceptance of a country that barred a FIFA-recognized team from entry. Despite those limits beyond their control, players such as Sadat remain determined. She said the revived, exiled national team represents what millions of Afghans want and serves as a protest against the Taliban’s restrictions.
‘It’s a slap from the football world to say: “you are trying to silence them and stop them from playing, but we are still here, and we are giving them the platform to rise, shine and use their sport as a weapon to fight against the gender apartheid and injustice,”’ she said.