FIFA faces fresh calls to recognise Afghanistan women's football team

New York Times

26-03-2025

FIFA is facing fresh calls to officially recognise the Afghanistan women's football team.
Members of the national side, as quoted in a report published by the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) on Tuesday, have spoken of their ongoing struggle to receive recognition from world football's governing body to compete in official matches.
Advertisement
The team have been absent from FIFA tournaments since the second Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 with the fresh plea coming ahead of the latest exclusion — from the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers draw, which feeds into the qualification process for the 2027 Women's World Cup.
FIFA regulations require teams to be recognised by a national federation, with the Taliban-controlled Afghan Football Federation (AFF) not acknowledging the existence of a women's football team due to the government's ban on women's sports.
Afghan women's players have subsequently been campaigning for recognition and financial support from FIFA, in lieu of either being provided by their own nation. The women's team has not played an officially recognised match since 2018.
FIFA, responding to a request from the SRA, pledged to 'promote the wellbeing of women and girls in Afghanistan' and to provide 'measures to promote the provision of playing opportunities and other forms of support for those players who are currently outside of Afghanistan' in a statement published on March 21.
Football's world governing body also said it would engage in 'advocacy and diplomacy' with the relevant bodies 'to explore ways to reduce the exclusion from sport of women and girls in Afghanistan over time.'
However, FIFA did not mention whether it intended to officially recognise the Afghan team or how any specific funding would be allocated. FIFA's position is that the situation is ongoing.
FIFA acknowledged that time would be required for the team to achieve their goals, but also spoke of their 'duty to do (its) best to use football's power to unite, inspire change and create opportunities,' while committing to continued engagement with the Afghan team and the SRA.
In August 2021, following the return of the Taliban to Afghanistan, more than 75 people associated with the Afghanistan women's senior football team — including players, officials and their families — escaped the nation to seek refuge in Australia. Members of youth teams, provincial teams and staff reached the UK, US, Portugal, Italy and Albania.
Advertisement
In October 2021, FIFA reported they had assisted in the evacuation of 'almost 100 members of the football family from Afghanistan, including female players' in what they described as the individuals at the 'highest risk' from the regime.
FIFPro, the global players' union, was among several bodies in discussions with governments across the world to try secure the safe evacuation of the players.
The SRA report — titled ''It's not just a game. It's part of who I am': Afghan Women Footballers' Fight for the Right to Play' and published on March 25 — details the ongoing battle for the Afghan team, which is described as 'a symbol of women's empowerment in post-Taliban Afghanistan…which was specifically targeted for reprisals when the Taliban returned to power.'
Khalida Popal, founder of the Afghan women's side and the first woman to work for the AFF, described the situation as 'the game being at half-time, and the Taliban think they are winning.
'If FIFA would change its rules and let us play, we could show the world that Afghan women and girls belong in sport, in school and everywhere in society — and we will not be defeated.'
Popal describes FIFA's latest position as 'a positive step towards collaborative action and recognising the sacrifice of Afghan women and Afghan women football players.'
'Afghan women footballers' ability to play internationally depends entirely on intervention from FIFA,' Andrea Florence, executive director of the SRA, said in a release on Tuesday. Florence was equally positive about FIFA's response but noted the importance of moving to recognise the side officially.
An online change.org petition for FIFA to recognise the team has amassed over 185,000 signatures.
'Football means everything to me,' Afghanistan international Ahdia Haidari said. 'It's not just a game; it's part of who I am. Playing football has given me strength and hope, especially during the hardest times of my life.'
Advertisement
Haidari's team-mate Mursal Sadat added: 'In our first match, dressed in our red jerseys, we stood in line with our hands over our hearts, listening to the Afghan national anthem.
'Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt immense pride representing my country and its 34 million people, especially the women suffering in silence. I thought of the women facing horrific injustices, and it ignited a fire within me.'
(William West/AFP via Getty Images)