Afghan women footballers celebrate 'historic moment'

A FIFA rule change allowing Afghanistan’s women footballers to compete in official matches is a “historic moment” and “basic human right”, former captain Khalida Popal told AFP on Thursday.

Afghanistan will in future be eligible to qualify for the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, something Popal said was the culmination of a “long fight”.

“I woke up this morning imagining a young Afghan girl opening her eyes and saying, ‘I’ve got the right to play’. This is a basic human right,” Popal said from Copenhagen.

She added: “It’s fantastic news, it’s a historic moment we are trying to absorb.”

The Afghanistan Women’s National Team was founded by Popal and other players in 2007 in Kabul.

After the Taliban authorities retook power in 2021, about 100 players and family were evacuated to Melbourne in Australia, with team members also relocating to Europe, Britain and the United States.

Women in Afghanistan are banned from participating in sport, and the Taliban authorities have shut down clandestine exercise groups held behind closed doors.

A team of Afghan refugee players was formed between Europe and Australia, playing their first international matches at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series last year in Morocco.

The team could not play official competitions because FIFA rules previously required the approval of the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Football Federation.

The FIFA amendment this week allows the official recognition of the Afghanistan team through agreement between FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.

It will also apply to other teams in exceptional circumstances that may be unable to register a national team.

“It has been a long fight but we are so grateful this history is made not only for the women of Afghanistan,” said Popal.

“No team, if they face a situation like us, will suffer what we have sacrificed and suffered.”

Afghanistan’s women footballers hope to build an internationally competitive team drawing from players scattered across the globe, she said.

“This announcement will allow us to find the talent within the diaspora,” she said.

The next step is for players to go for trials, ahead of a possible game in June.

Afghanistan will not be eligible to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup but will be able to try and reach future editions.

“This is a powerful and unprecedented step in world sport,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said following the decision.

“FIFA has listened to these players as part of its responsibility to protect the right of every girl and woman to play football and to represent who they are.”

He added: “FIFA is proud to lead this historic initiative and to stand alongside these courageous players on and off the pitch.”