Afghan Women’s Football Team Returns to International Play After Taliban Ban

After four years away from international competition due to the Taliban’s ban on women’s sports, Afghanistan’s women’s football team is set to return to the pitch. The team, composed of refugee players living in exile, will compete in the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series tournament in the United Arab Emirates from October 23-29, 2025. This marks their first official appearance since 2021, when the Taliban takeover forced female athletes to flee the country or abandon their sporting careers.

Central to this effort is defender Najma Arefi, who spoke to Deutsche Welle (DW) about the team’s mission. “It’s not just about wearing the Afghanistan women’s national team jersey. It’s also about representing so many Afghan women who have been silenced and who have no voice to share with the world. They have been deprived of every single human right,” Arefi said. Her comments underscore the dual purpose of the team’s return: athletic competition and advocacy for women’s rights in Afghanistan.

The team, known as Afghan Women United, has been training across multiple countries while living in exile. Their journey back to international football began after years of displacement following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Under Taliban rule, women and girls face severe restrictions, including being barred from secondary education and requiring a male guardian to leave their homes. Sports, which had flourished for women during the previous two decades, was immediately banned.

Goalkeeper Elaha Safdari, who fled Afghanistan as a 17-year-old without her family, now resides in Doncaster, England. She carries with her only a memento from home: her goalkeeper of the year trophy from the Afghan women’s league. Her story exemplifies the personal sacrifices made by the players, many of whom left behind families, education, and their homeland to pursue safety and the chance to continue playing football.

The FIFA Unites: Women’s Series tournament in the UAE will feature matches against Chad, Libya, and the host nation, United Arab Emirates. While the games themselves are significant, the players emphasize that sending a message to Afghanistan’s oppressive rulers is even more important. “Notice many emotions that reach up, a mix of excitement and anticipation for the tournament, but also, at the same time, it’s a great responsibility,” Arefi told DW, highlighting the weight of representing not just a team, but an entire generation of silenced women.

The team’s participation represents more than a sporting comeback; This proves a powerful statement of resilience and resistance. By taking the field in international competition, these athletes challenge the Taliban’s efforts to erase women from public life and assert their right to represent their country on the global stage. Their presence in the tournament serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of Afghan women who continue to fight for their freedoms despite exile and adversity.

As the team prepares for their October 2025 matches, their focus remains on both the sporting challenge and the broader mission of advocating for Afghan women’s rights. The tournament provides a platform to highlight the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan while demonstrating that the passion for football among Afghan women remains unbroken, even in exile.

The team’s next step is their participation in the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series tournament in the UAE from October 23-29, 2025, where they will face Chad, Libya, and the United Arab Emirates. This event represents a critical milestone in their journey back to international recognition and serves as a platform to amplify their message of resilience and hope for Afghan women worldwide.

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