Afghan Womens Refugee Team Granted Participation in International Soccer Tournaments

FIFA Council Grants Eligibility to Afghan Women’s Refugee Team

The FIFA Council has approved an amendment to its regulations, allowing the Afghan Women’s United team, a refugee women’s football team, to represent Afghanistan at international competitions. The decision was made during a meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

As of Tuesday, the Afghan Women’s United team is now eligible to participate in international competitions, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, they will not be able to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The team, which consists of over 80 players scattered across Australia, the United States, and Europe, has been recognized by FIFA after years of lobbying by players, former captain Khalida Popal, and human rights groups. The team played their last competitive match in 2018, when the Taliban shut down all women’s sports in Afghanistan.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the decision aims to enable the Afghan Women’s United team, as well as other FIFA member associations with unregistered national or representative teams, to participate in future competitions. The team will play a pair of exhibition matches during the upcoming June international window against opponents to be determined.

The Afghan women’s football team was previously under investigation for misconduct involving allegations of rape and physical abuse. However, FIFA has not suspended the Afghanistan Football Federation from international football despite failing to acknowledge the women’s team.

Human Rights Watch director Minky Worden praised FIFA’s decision, stating that it should serve as a model for how international sports bodies respond to athletes being systemically excluded due to their gender or ethnicity.

Source: Al Jazeera