After years of exile, campaigning and training, Afghan women footballers have been granted the right to compete as their country’s official national team.
In a move announced at a FIFA Council meeting in Toronto, the association cleared the current squad to pursue qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and for future FIFA and Asian Football Confederation tournaments. The decision overrides the refusal of the Taliban-controlled Afghan football federation to endorse a women’s national side.
“This is enormous for us — to show the world that Afghan women and girls can do extraordinary things,” national goalkeeper Elaha Safdari said. She described the ruling as a strong rebuke to the Taliban and others who opposed their participation, and said the players will continue to raise the voices of those who remain voiceless in Afghanistan.
Many team members are veterans of the Afghanistan Women’s United squad that took part in the FIFA Unites Women’s Series in Morocco in 2025. Those players, now largely refugees living across Australia and Europe, have faced logistical and political barriers and are expected to form the core of the newly recognized national team.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the Council’s amendment “momentous,” noting it permits FIFA to register a national or representative team in exceptional circumstances when a member association cannot. He said the change protects the right of girls and women to play and represent their country, and pointed to FIFA’s 2025 Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football as instrumental in prompting the move.
Andrea Florence of the Sport and Rights Alliance welcomed the precedent, saying it shows sports governing bodies can amend rules to uphold human rights when necessary. The ruling could also create a pathway for other teams that have been blocked by their own federations.
Former Afghanistan captain and campaigner Khalida Popal joined Infantino for the announcement while the current squad followed the news online. “This is our moment — football is our voice and our platform,” she said.
For Safdari and her teammates, FIFA recognition validates the momentum and camaraderie they built in Morocco, where they were not officially acknowledged as a full national side. “Our background is different from other teams, and that difference is a strength,” Safdari said. “We’ve trained hard and this gives us new hope. It shows our resilience and that with dedication we can reach our goals.”
The players and supporters stress the struggle is far from over: the Taliban remain in power and restrictions on women continue in Afghanistan. Still, official recognition gives the team a rare international stage to highlight both the hardships and the pride of Afghan women. Safdari said her family back home felt proud, and the squad has received broad support on social media.
FIFA has pledged funding and support during international windows. The team is scheduled to assemble in New Zealand for matches and an eight-day training camp that will include a friendly against the Cook Islands as they prepare for Olympic qualifiers expected to begin later this year, followed by World Cup and Asian Cup qualifying fixtures.
Many players live scattered across several countries and have limited experience training together, so there is considerable work ahead to build cohesion. For these athletes, however, that challenge is familiar: many have already rebuilt lives abroad while continuing to fight for the right to play.
Edited by: Janek Speight