Thousands of miles from home, members of the Afghan women's national football team came together for the first time in years, marking a poignant new chapter for players who were once barred from the sport under Taliban rule. The squad, made up of 23 players now scattered across countries including Australia, the United Kingdom and Portugal, gathered in Auckland, New Zealand, for a training camp and two unofficial friendly matches against the Cook Islands.
The reunion follows a landmark decision by FIFA in April, which ruled that the Afghan women's team could represent their country in official matches going forward, without requiring approval from the Afghanistan Football Federation. That approval had been impossible to obtain since the Taliban seized power in August 2021 and imposed sweeping restrictions on women, including bans on secondary education, most employment and organised sport.
Afghanistan's original women's national team, established in 2007, was disbanded as a result, with many players evacuated and resettled abroad. Years of advocacy eventually led to the formation of a refugee-based squad known as Afghan Women United, which can now pursue qualification for major tournaments such as the World Cup and the Olympics under FIFA's new ruling.
For many of the players, gathering as a team again was an emotional milestone. Difficulties in obtaining travel documents as asylum seekers had made it nearly impossible for the group to train together over the past five years. Before their first match, midfielder Fatima Haidari urged teammates to draw strength from their shared identity, telling them to stay strong