Afghan women footballers hail FIFA rule change as historic step

Kabul: Afghanistan’s women footballers have welcomed a FIFA rule change that will allow them to take part in official matches, with former captain Khalida Popal describing the move as a historic development and a basic right for Afghan girls and women.

Speaking to AFP from Copenhagen on Thursday, Popal said the decision marked the outcome of a prolonged struggle by the players. “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,” she said. She added: “It's fantastic news, it's a historic moment we are trying to absorb.”

The change means Afghanistan will in future be able to pursue qualification for the Women’s World Cup and the Olympic Games. Popal said the breakthrough came after years of effort by players who had continued to push for recognition despite major obstacles.

The Afghanistan Women’s National Team was established in Kabul in 2007 by Popal and other players. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, around 100 players and their family members were evacuated to Melbourne, Australia. Other members of the squad later moved to Europe, Britain and the United States.

Under Taliban rule, women in Afghanistan are barred from taking part in sports. The authorities have also closed secret exercise groups that had been operating indoors behind closed doors.

A team made up of Afghan refugee players was later assembled across Europe and Australia. That side played its first international fixtures at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series in Morocco last year. However, the team had been unable to enter official competitions because FIFA’s previous regulations required approval from the Afghanistan Football Federation, which is controlled by the Taliban authorities.

Under the amendment approved this week, FIFA can officially recognise the Afghanistan team through an arrangement with the Asian Football Confederation. The revised framework will also apply to other teams in exceptional situations where a national side may be unable to register.

“It has been a long fight but we are so grateful this history is made not only for the women of Afghanistan,” Popal said, adding, “No team, if they face a situation like us, will suffer what we have sacrificed and suffered.”

She said the players now want to build a side capable of competing internationally by drawing on Afghan talent living in different countries. “This announcement will allow us to find the talent within the diaspora,” she said.

According to Popal, the next stage will involve player trials ahead of a possible match in June. Afghanistan will not be able to enter qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, but the team will be eligible to compete for places in later editions.

FIFA calls move unprecedented

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the decision represented a major step in global sport. “This is a powerful and unprecedented step in world sport,” he said after the ruling was announced.

Infantino said FIFA had responded to the players as part of its duty to defend access to the game for girls and women. “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 said. He added: “FIFA is proud to lead this historic initiative and to stand alongside these courageous players on and off the pitch.”

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