The State of Women's Football in Afghanistan and Existing Challenges
Imagine never allowed to play sports—just because you’re a woman. This is happening in Afghanistan. Now.
Women's football in Afghanistan officially began in 2007 with the establishment of a special committee and the formation of the first national team. In its early years, the national team participated in international tournaments and gained recognition on the global stage. Later, Afghanistan held its first women's football league in 2014. The women's football team was flourishing, boasting many young talents, until the events of August 15, 2021.
Since the Taliban's return to power, the status of sports, particularly women's football, has been severely impacted. Women's football in Afghanistan faces complete annihilation.
After the Taliban regained control in 2021, Afghanistan's female footballers were evacuated to Australia. Now in exile, the team is striving to return to the international stage and gain official recognition from FIFA. The former Afghan national team currently participates in various competitions unofficially and is working towards the revival of women's football in Afghanistan through ongoing efforts and international support. However, the situation in Afghanistan remains dire.
Over 3,000 women and girls who played football in Afghanistan feared for their lives after the 2021 takeover. As a result, Khalida Popal, former captain of the Afghan women's national football team, Asked players to burn their sports clothes and delete their social media accounts to avoid threats. Around 100 female footballers were evacuated to Australia, and now in exile, the team seeks official recognition from FIFA.
Fatima Yousufi, a National Football Team player of Afghanistan, in an interview with Woman Post Cited: "The future of women's football in Afghanistan is unfortunately bleak under the current regime. With the restrictions imposed on women’s participation in sports, and that also imposed in any activity that women do including education, it is disheartening to see the progress we had made being dismantled."
The situation for the Afghanistan National Women's Football Team could be sugarcoated. However, given the complete ban on women's education, work, public voice, and appearance, and the confinement of women to their homes, there will no longer be an Afghanistan National Women's Football Team until real measures and actions are taken universally.
"When educating and simply speaking is banned for me, then you think they allow me to run on the football field and kick the ball into the goal?" – An Afghan Female Footballer.
Zakia Khudadai, an Afghan paralympian said in Paris 2024 Paralympics, “It’s hard for me because I’d like to compete under my country’s flag, but life for all girls and women in Afghanistan is forbidden. It’s over. Today, I’m here to win a medal in the Paris Olympics for them, and showed the world the resilience of Afghanistan women."