(Adnkronos) – Fifa gives green light for Afghan athletes to return to the field for international competitions. Since 2021, the Taliban are back in power in Afghanistan. And their return, along with the limitations on women’s rights, has prompted many athletes to seek asylum abroad. The news was announced yesterday in the name of “exceptional circumstances”. “The Fifa Council has approved a very important amendment – said the president, Gianni Infantino – which allows Afghan players, including athletes from the Afghan Women United team, funded and supported by Fifa, to represent their country in official international matches within Fifa competitions.”
Fifa speaks of a “historic decision” to “ensure” that no one is “excluded from international football due to situations beyond their control” and insists on the principles of “inclusion” and “non-discrimination”. Previously, the Dpa agency points out, Fifa regulations stipulated that for the women’s team to take the field, it had to be recognized by the Afghan Football Federation, controlled by the Taliban.
Since their return to power, more than 70 decrees have been announced with limitations on the rights of women and girls in the country ravaged by decades of wars. Afghanistan has not played an official international match since December 2018, the BBC highlights. Infantino spoke of a “significant and unprecedented step in the world of sport”.
The Afghan Women United (Afghan Women’s Refugee Team) was ‘created’ to provide opportunities for Afghan players far from their homeland. According to the BBC, there are more than 80 of them across Australia, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. The Afghan women played three matches last year as part of the Fifa Unites – Women’s Series 2025, securing their first victory against Libya in November. The coach is Scottish Pauline Hamill.
Former captain Khalida Popal emphasized that for “these players, representing Afghanistan is a matter of identity, dignity, and hope” and Fifa has reached a “solution that no other sport has achieved”. The Afghan women, the BBC explains, will not be able to play in the 2027 Women’s Football World Cup, but will be able to participate in the qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics.
