Soccer

Afghanistan Women’s Soccer Team of Refugees to Play First Official Games at FIFA-Backed Event

AP file photo
Members of the Afghan women’s football team attend Morocco’s practice ahead of the Women’s World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

The Associated Press

11:32 JST, September 25, 2025

ZURICH (AP) — The Afghanistan national women’s soccer team of refugee players has its first official games next month at a four-team tournament in Dubai, FIFA said Wednesday.

The FIFA-supported team — which cannot yet officially represent Afghanistan in World Cup qualifying — will face the host United Arab Emirates, Chad and Libya in the Oct. 23-29 event.

Afghanistan has not played an official women’s competitive game since 2018, and the return to power of the Taliban regime in 2021 shut down women’s sport. The Afghan soccer federation has obligations under FIFA statutes to avoid discrimination though has not been suspended from international soccer.

The tournament “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 soccer body said.

The women’s teams of Chad and Libya do not yet have a FIFA ranking, and the UAE is No. 117.

FIFA said all games at the round-robin tournament will be broadcast live on its in-house streaming platform.