The Afghanistan women’s football team in exile lost their first match on Sunday in the tournament (FIFA Unites: Women’s Series), hosted by FIFA in Morocco, with a score of six to one against Chad.
Reuters reported on Monday, October 27, that for the players who had been deprived of playing for years following the Taliban’s ban on women’s sports, being present on the field itself meant a victory.
Women’s sports in Afghanistan have been banned since the Taliban takeover in 2021, and many players have left the country to escape persecution by the Taliban and the restrictions.
After FIFA formed the Afghanistan women’s football team in exile in May, Pauline Hamill was selected as coach, and after consultation with FIFA, the team chose their official name as “Afghan Women United.”
Before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had 25 female players under contract, most of whom now live in Australia.
The Afghanistan women’s football team in exile will face Tunisia in their next match on Wednesday and then play against Libya on Saturday.
You can read the Persian version of this news here:
تیم فوتبال زنان افغانستان در تبعید برای نخستین بازی خود در تورنمنت فیفا به میدان رفتند
