Afghanistan women’s refugee team set for October debut in UAE

 

The Afghanistan national women’s team of refugee players will partake in their first official matches at a four-team tournament in the United Arab Emirates in October, world governing body FIFA confirmed on Wednesday.  

The Afghan team will play against United Arab Emirates, Chad and Libya in Dubai during the last week of October. FIFA supports the team that does not officially represent Afghanistan and was excluded from World Cup qualifying.  

In a statement, Zurich-based FIFA called the women’s series “a historic four-team women’s football event” that “reinforces FIFA’s efforts to promote and protect the right of all women and girls to play the sport, pursue their footballing dreams and thrive through the game.”  

The team has not featured in a competitive game since 2018 and under the Taliban regime, women’s sport in Afghanistan has been stopped. The Afghan Football Federation, however, has not been suspended by the world’s governing body. 

Earlier this year, FIFA established the Afghanistan women’s refugee football team. In a letter dated March 21, FIFA General-Secretary Matthias Grafstrom outlined a three-pillar strategy as part of its support for Afghan women’s football: project-specific support to women and girls in Afghanistan, advocacy and diplomacy, and support to players outside of Afghanistan. 

The team has held training camps in Australia and England, and the women’s series will mark a step in the side’s development. However, the team is still intent on pushing for formal recognition by FIFA.