Three years ago a group of exiled Afghan women watched the 2023 Women’s World Cup from the Australian cities where they were living, left frustrated that they could not compete. Since then the players have made progress, but the Women’s Asian Cup, beginning in Australia on March 1, highlights both hope and the obstacles that still prevent them playing regular international football.
Defender Mursal Sadat recalled crying while watching the World Cup because it reminded her of when she could play for Afghanistan before the Taliban returned in 2021. She said she hopes Afghanistan will be competing again by the next qualifiers.
Last October the side branded Afghan Women United took a significant step: FIFA recognized the team and they played in a friendly tournament in Morocco. That milestone capped a four‑year campaign to be heard, but four months on the team has not played another fixture.
“Morocco was a big milestone, but for us it is only the beginning,” UK‑based goalkeeper Elaha Safdari told DW. She said the players are eager to represent Afghanistan again, remain disciplined, and are training hard while staff work to create more opportunities.
FIFA announced that Afghanistan will play two unnamed opponents in the June international break, with details to follow. Players based in Europe held a training camp in Doncaster, England, earlier this month; those in Australia are expected to stage a camp later in the year.
Given the team’s struggles for recognition, the trauma they have experienced, and the development gap from missing four years of international competition, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil was always likely to be out of reach. March’s Asian Cup will determine which Asian teams qualify for Brazil 2027: semifinalists qualify automatically while losing quarterfinalists go into playoffs for the remaining Asian spots.
Visa problems last October demonstrated how geopolitics can derail sport. The UAE, which had agreed to host and play the Afghan side, refused to allow the players to enter, forcing the last‑minute relocation of the tournament to Morocco. FIFA has not explained the UAE’s reversal. Many involved, including the players, suspect the UAE’s ties or broader political considerations linked to the Taliban played a role.
Alison Battisson, the Australian human rights lawyer who helped the team find asylum and keeps in close contact with the players, said the speed with which the UAE can issue visas makes the refusal extraordinary. She suggested a senior decisionmaker, prioritizing other interests over women’s sport, intervened—to her mind likely for economic or political reasons related to Afghanistan.
FIFA’s silence over the UAE episode has added to the uncertainty. The organization did, however, announce on December 29 the launch of a new annual world football awards event in Dubai, drawing 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 have expressed gratitude for FIFA’s recognition, but the apparent backing of a country that rejected a FIFA‑recognized team is hard to reconcile with commitments to advocate for long‑term access to sport for the Afghan women.
Despite limited control over geopolitics, players such as Sadat remain determined. She said the re‑creation and recognition of an Afghan women’s national team in exile is something millions of Afghans want; it is a form of protest against the Taliban’s regime. “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 told DW.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding