Islamabad, 26 March 2025: A global rights group has urged FIFA to officially recognize the Afghan women’s football team in exile, allowing them to compete internationally after being banned when the Taliban took power in 2021.
The Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) stated that excluding Afghan female players from international football is discriminatory.
The group emphasized that this exclusion affects not only women inside Afghanistan but also those forced into exile.
It argued that the ban violates FIFA’s own statutes and human rights policies, which prohibit discrimination of any kind, including gender-based restrictions.
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According to the SRA, Afghanistan’s Football Federation has refused to acknowledge the women’s team, preventing them from playing at the international level for four years.
The report also highlighted the team’s continuous struggle to regain recognition and compete under Afghanistan’s name.
The rights alliance urged FIFA to take concrete steps to reinstate Afghan women’s right to play football.
Their recommendations included formally recognizing the exiled team, providing financial assistance for training, and using FIFA’s influence to restore Afghan girls’ participation in sports.
Following the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan women and girls were banned from competitive sports, forcing the national women’s football team to seek refuge in other countries.
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FIFA rules currently require recognition from Afghanistan’s Football Federation—an organization now controlled by the Taliban—making it impossible for the women’s team to participate in global tournaments without intervention.
Since 2021, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan women, barring them from secondary education, public speaking, and media appearances.
The UN has described these policies as systematic gender-based discrimination, severely limiting fundamental rights such as education, healthcare, and freedom of movement.
