Afghan Women’s Soccer Team Pursues New Opportunities

In Wellington, New Zealand, the Afghan women’s soccer team is gaining fresh opportunities with determination and strong support. These refugee players, including Fatima Yousufi, are pursuing international soccer once more after losing their chance when the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Yousufi fled Afghanistan, arriving in Australia with only a backpack and a strong desire to play soccer. Along with others like Mona Amini, she had pursued education and the sport until the Taliban’s takeover halted all women’s sports activities. National team players evacuated the country, fearing persecution.

Thirteen players ultimately settled in Australia, where they lived, played, and trained over the past five years, hoping to represent their country once again. Now, 23 members of the Afghan Women United program are participating in a training camp in Auckland, New Zealand, preparing for matches against a Cook Islands team. Though the national soccer federation does not recognize the women’s team, FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, has recently granted them eligibility for international competition.

“It was a special day that we heard that Afghanistan can represent again our flag in international tournaments,” Amini shared during a Zoom call with The Associated Press. “This is the result of hard work that we did in the past four or five years.”

Months ago, the Afghan women participated in the Unite tournament, securing a victory over Libya. For Amini, hearing their national anthem after three years marked an incredible moment.

Yousufi, a Melbourne-based goalkeeper, vividly recalls her reaction to FIFA’s recognition. “We’re going to have the national team! That’s the greatest thing ever that could have happened to the team,” she stated. “It was super important to us, especially thinking of the time when we arrived in Australia and we had lost everything: family, our childhood memories and that national team.”

Leaving Afghanistan with minimal belongings, Yousufi focused on her safety and continuing her soccer career. “When we came here the most important part of our life was to be a soccer player and to be a soccer team,” she expressed. The inability to represent Afghanistan officially was a setback, but now the team eyes new opportunities.

Afghan players are now spread across Australia, Europe, and the United States. Coach Pauline Hamill oversees talent identification camps and coordinates the team for matches. Memories of past hardships fuel their motivation to excel and represent women and girls in Afghanistan. The team’s last official match was in 2018.

Amini commented on the challenges they faced in Afghanistan. “Going out from home was tough because there was the risk of the Taliban seeing us and finding that we were playing soccer. It was a very tough time and I’m pretty sure every one of the girls, every single one of us, fought hard to create this team and we are very happy right now to stay with each other.”

Yousufi, both student and athlete, described the earlier difficulties they encountered playing soccer as women in Afghanistan. “We were thinking of any other outcomes like the danger we were facing, everyday dangers in Afghanistan like bomb explosions. Considering all those things, and it was the same for the other girls, we took all those risks to be part of the national team and to be a football player.” The situation grew worse with the Taliban’s return.

Amini highlighted the importance of freedom. “The only thing humans want is freedom, and the Taliban took our freedom,” she declared. The lack of opportunities for education and sports deeply impacted them.

Today, the refugee players aim to be role models for women and girls in Afghanistan. “We are here and we are going to be trying our best to do something for them, to be the voice of them so that we could have a new generation for the future for the Afghanistan women’s national team,” Amini emphasized.

Yousufi acknowledges the support received, noting how a group of players were “adopted by the Australian government” and are now continuing their journeys with football and education. “Our team might be the one to change the way the people think and also the way that things are happening towards the girls and women in Afghanistan,” she noted. The team seeks to demonstrate that women can contribute to society and pursue education and sports.