Return of the Afghan women's football team a boost for human rights

Human Rights Research Center
4 minutes ago
3 min read

November 6, 2025

HRRC commends FIFA’s acknowledgment of the Afghan women’s refugee team, an important milestone on the path toward the formal recognition of the Afghanistan Women’s Football Team. FIFA is now urged to take the next step by showing greater flexibility in its own regulations to ensure that formal recognition can be achieved.

Members of Afghan Women United football team celebrate after scoring a goal against Chad, in their first international tournament since fleeing their country. Casablanca, Morocco, October 26, 2025 [Image credit: AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy]

It has been four years since the Afghan women’s football team last took to the pitch, but, following a long battle for formal acknowledgment of their status, they were able to do so this week. The team was disbanded in August 2021 when Taliban insurgents filled the power vacuum left by departing foreign troops in the country. The regime brought with them a mandate to vastly reduce many of the freedoms that women and girls had been afforded over the previous two decades.

This had a detrimental effect on sports, with the Taliban banning any participation in sports for girls over the age of 12. Fearing for their lives, the vast majority of the Afghan women’s football team, fled the country resettling in various countries around the world.

Over the last four years the team has had to fight for recognition from FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association). FIFA’s continual non-recognition has drawn accusations that they have fundamentally “…exported the Taliban’s repressive policies abroad...”. However, in May of this year, the world’s football governing body approved the formation of “Afghan Women United”, an Afghan women’s refugee team, allowing them to participate in “FIFA Unites”, a four-team tournament held in Morocco.

Despite this improvement in relations with FIFA, the organisation still has not formally recognised this group of women players as the official national team of Afghanistan, something that must be rectified immediately. FIFA regulations state that national teams must be approved by a country’s official Football Association, and as the Taliban controlled AFF (Afghan Football Federation) will not allow women to participate in sports, FIFA should be more lenient in regards to their regulations.

Afghan Women United’s first victory came on November 1^st when they defeated Libya 7-0, a victory that represented a symbol of optimism for all Afghan women. Their captain, Fatima Sadat reiterated this point when commenting on their first win saying that “…we absolutely learned, we are growing, and, for the next generation, we will be the people that will teach them..”

The formal recognition by FIFA of an Afghan national women’s team would not only allow these deserving women to play the sport they love, but would represent hope for human rights back in Afghanistan.

Nilab Mohammadi, a striker on the team, said football was “…not just a sport–it represents life and hope”. And, for the millions of women and girls currently living in Afghanistan, this is a message that must be communicated.

Glossary

Acknowledgment – accepting or recognizing that something is true or exists.
Detrimental – causing harm or damage.
Disbanded – broken up or ended (as a group, team, or organization).
FIFA – Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of football (soccer).
Mandate – an official order or authority to carry out a task or policy.
Optimism – hopefulness and confidence about the future.
Power vacuum – a situation where no one has clear control or authority, often after a government or leader loses power.
Rectified – corrected or made right.
Refugee – a person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or disaster.
Reiterated – said or done again, often to emphasize a point.
Resettling – starting to live in a new place, especially after having to leave one’s home or country.
Taliban insurgents – members of the Taliban group who use armed force to try to take or maintain control.

Sources

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Return of the Afghan women's football team a boost for human rights

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