Afghan women’s football returns to international stage in FIFA tournament

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Afghanistan women’s exile squad played their archetypal lucifer successful a FIFA-organised four-team affable contention successful Morocco.

Published On 27 Oct 2025

An Afghan women’s exile squad mislaid 6-1 to Chad successful a FIFA-organised tourney successful Morocco connected Sunday, but, for the players, the lucifer itself represented a triumph aft being denied the accidental to play the athletics they emotion backmost home.

Women’s athletics has been banned successful Afghanistan since the Taliban authorities took implicit successful 2021, prompting players to fly the country, fearing persecution.

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Prior to the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan had 25 women players nether contract, astir of whom present unrecorded successful Australia.

The women’s nationalist squad past played an planetary lucifer successful 2021, losing 5-0 to Qatar, but, successful May, the satellite shot governing assemblage approved the instauration of an Afghan women’s exile team, with Pauline Hamill named arsenic coach.

The squad chose “Afghan Women United” arsenic their authoritative sanction pursuing consultations with FIFA, earlier their nonaccomplishment to Chad, their archetypal lucifer of the four-team FIFA Unites: Women’s Series tournament, which besides features Tunisia and Libya.

“That’s each we wanted each these years aft trying truthful hard to get what we genuinely merit arsenic a woman. Our close to play and to correspond our country,” Captain Fatima Haidari said successful the lead-up to the match.

“We are profoundly grateful that FIFA gave america this accidental and this privilege to correspond what women are susceptible of.”

Mansooh Noori and Dallou Fatime successful action.

First fixture successful 4 years

Afghan Women United opened the scoring done Melbourne-based striker Manozh Noori’s punishment connected Sunday, prompting chaotic celebrations among her teammates and connected the sidelines.

But Chad, who played their archetypal lucifer successful 2019 and competed successful qualifying for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, recovered rapidly and went connected to grounds the comfy triumph successful Berrechid, 40km (25 miles) from Casablanca.

Afghan Women United’s adjacent crippled is against Tunisia connected Wednesday, earlier they instrumentality connected Libya connected Saturday.

The tourney was scheduled to beryllium held successful the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but was moved to Morocco past week aft the Afghanistan squad were denied introduction to the Gulf nation.