- From Fear and Exile to Hope and Representation
WELLINGTON: When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, women and girls saw many of their basic freedoms disappear — including the right to participate in sports. For Afghanistan’s women football players, a passion that had taken years of courage and sacrifice was suddenly forced into silence.
Among those who escaped was goalkeeper Fatima Yousufi, who arrived in Australia carrying only a backpack but holding on to a powerful dream: to continue playing football and represent her country.
Through extraordinary determination, courage and support from their families, players like Yousufi and midfielder Mona Amini had previously managed to study, compete for clubs and proudly wear the Afghanistan national team jersey. But after the Taliban takeover, women’s sports were banned, and members of the women’s football team were forced into hiding.
A Team Reborn After Years of Struggle
Following a difficult evacuation process, 13 Afghan women footballers settled in Australia. For five years, they continued training, playing and preparing — hoping that one day they would once again represent Afghanistan internationally.
Their dream moved closer to reality when football’s global governing body recognized the Afghan women’s team’s eligibility for international competitions in April, despite the Afghanistan Football Federation refusing to recognize the women’s side.
This week, 23 players from the Afghan Women United program gathered in Auckland, New Zealand, for a training camp and will compete against a team from the Cook Islands.
“It was a special day when we heard that Afghanistan could represent our flag again in international tournaments,” Amini said. “This is the result of the hard work we have done over the past four or five years.”
Carrying the Pain of the Past, Fighting for the Future
Seven months earlier, the Afghan women’s team competed in the “Unite” tournament, where they secured a victory over Libya. For many players, it was a deeply emotional moment after years of uncertainty.
“It was very special because we played in an international friendly tournament, and after three years we heard our anthem again,” Amini said. “That was amazing for me.”
For Yousufi, the recognition of the team was a moment of hope after losing almost everything.
“We’re going to have the national team — that’s the greatest thing that could have happened,” she said. “When we arrived in Australia, we had lost everything: family, childhood memories and our national team.”
She recalled leaving Afghanistan with only one backpack, saying she left “to be safe and to continue to be alive.”
Taliban Restrictions Ended Women’s Dreams at Home
The players say their journey reflects the struggles faced by countless Afghan women whose opportunities have been severely restricted under Taliban rule.
Amini described the situation as heartbreaking, saying women and girls were denied education, sports and the ability to pursue their dreams.
“The only thing humans want is freedom, and the Taliban took our freedom,” she said. “It is really difficult when you cannot educate, cannot play sport, cannot go outside or follow your dreams.”
Even before the Taliban takeover, female athletes faced social barriers and security risks. Yousufi said that becoming a football player in Afghanistan required confronting family pressures, social challenges and threats.
“We took all those risks to be part of the national team and to be football players,” she said.
A Voice for Afghan Women and Girls
Afghan women footballers now see themselves as more than athletes — they see themselves as representatives of millions of women and girls who have lost opportunities.
“We are here and we are going to try our best to do something for them, to be their voice,” Amini said. “We want to create a new generation for the future of Afghanistan women’s football.”
Yousufi said the players are continuing their journey through football and education while standing as symbols of hope.
“Our team might be the one to change the way people think and the way things are happening toward girls and women in Afghanistan,” she said.
Despite exile and years of hardship, Afghanistan’s women footballers continue to send a message of resilience: that talent, courage and the pursuit of freedom cannot easily be silenced.
BY: The Times Union
