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Afghanistan women's national football team

(Redirected from Afghanistan Women's National Football Team)

The Afghanistan women's national football team (Dari: تیم ملی فوتبال زنان افغانستان) is the women's national team of Afghanistan sanctioned by the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) until women's football was banned in their home country by the Taliban in 2021, but officially recognized by FIFA on April 2026.

Afghanistan
Nickname(s)The Lionesses of Afghanistan
(أسود أنثى أفغانستان)
AssociationAfghanistan Football Federation
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationCAFA (Central Asia)
Top scorerMarjan Haydaree (5)
FIFA codeAFG
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
CurrentNR (16 June 2026)[1]
Highest106 (December 2017 – March 2018)
Lowest160 (December 2021)
First international
 Nepal 13–0 Afghanistan 
(Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh; 14 December 2010)[2]
Last international
 Afghanistan 0–5 Tajikistan 
(Tashkent, Uzbekistan; 1 December 2018)
Biggest win
 Pakistan 0–4 Afghanistan 
(Colombo, Sri Lanka; 10 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
 Uzbekistan 20–0 Afghanistan 
(Tashkent, Uzbekistan; 23 November 2018)
CAFA Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2018)
Best resultGroup stage (2018)
SAFF Championship
Appearances4 (first in 2010)
Best resultSemi-finals (2012)

In May 2025, FIFA sanctioned the creation of an Afghan women's refugee team later named Afghan Women United to represent the Afghan diaspora which would later be eligible to represent Afghanistan officially starting in April 2026.

History

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Islamic Republic (2007–2021)

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The team was formed in 2007 by the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee with players drawn from among selected school girls in Kabul.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

In an attempt to improve the quality of women's football, the team was sent to Germany in 2008 to hold a preparation camp. Later in the year, the Afghan team traveled to Jordan to participate in the Islamic Countries Women's Football Tournament.[9]

In May 2010, Danish sports brand Hummel International sponsored male, female and youth teams of Afghanistan.[10]

The 2010 SAFF Women's Championship in Bangladesh marked the first appearance of Afghanistan in a major international tournament. In it, they played their first official game, against Nepal, where they were defeated by an overwhelming 13–0 scoreline.[11]

2016 marked a big year for the Afghanistan women's national team as they received support from the Afghanistan Football Federation and hired new coaching staff, comprising head coach Kelly Lindsey, assistant coach Haley Carter, and program director Khalida Popal.[12]

In November 2018, male staff of the Afghanistan Football Federation were accused of sexual and physical abuse of Afghanistan women's players.[13] The alleged abusers included the federation's president, Keramuudin Karim.[14] In June 2019, FIFA imposed a life ban on Karim, barring him from all football-related activity after an investigation found him guilty of "having abused his position and sexually abused various female players".[15][16]

The national team played their last official match, a 0–5 loss to Tajikistan, on December 1, 2018 at the 2018 CAFA Women's Championship[17]

2021 Taliban takeover and disbandment

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Following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, the national team players were evacuated out of the country.[18] The Taliban has banned women's sports in the country including football.[19] Coordinating with authorities from six countries, captain Khalida Popal and FIFPro facilitated the evacuation of the players and their families.[20][21][22]

The AFF now has refused to recognize a women's national team; either consisting of diaspora or local players.[23][24]

Players' exile and formation of Afghan Women United

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The national team players in exile have played together. Australia-based players organized as Melbourne Victory FC AWT and joined Football Victoria in March 2022.[25][26] In May 2022, an Afghan development side played a friendly against non-FIFA team Surrey in Dorking.[27][28]

In 2023, Afghanistan was originally included in Asian qualifying tournament for Women's football in 2024 Summer Olympics, but they forced to withdrew from the tournament as Afghanistan Football Federation did not plan to organize women's national team[29].

There has been also campaign for Afghan women for FIFA to allow them to play as a national team independent from the AFF.[23][24] In May 2025, FIFA sanctioned the creation of a Afghanistan women's refugee team under a one-year pilot-run basis.[30][31] The Pauline Hamill-coached team later dubbed as Afghan Women United is still not recognized as formal national team by FIFA but played in the FIFA Unites: Women's Series friendly tournament against the Chad, Tunisia, and Libya national teams held in October to November 2025 in Morocco.[32][33]

In April 2026, FIFA and AFC announced that Afghan Women United would be eligible to represent Afghanistan for official matches.[34]

Results

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Coaching history

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Name Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Winning %
Afghanistan Abdul Saboor Walizada 2010–2013 10 3 2 5 30%
Afghanistan Faqir Zada 2014 3 0 0 3 0%
Afghanistan Amin Amini 2015 0 0 0 0 0%
United States Kelly Lindsey 2016–2017 2 0 0 2 0%
Afghanistan Ali Jawad Ataiee 2018–2021 6 0 0 6 0%

Competitive record

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FIFA Women's World Cup

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FIFA Women's World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
China 1991 to China 2007 Did not existDid not exist
Germany 2011 to France 2019 Did not enterDid not enter
Australia New Zealand 2023 Withdrew from qualificationVia AFC Women's Asian Cup
Brazil 2027 Did not enterDid not enter
Total — 0/10 — — — — — — — — — — — —

Summer Olympics

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Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
United States 1996 to China 2008 Did not existDid not exist
United Kingdom 2012 to Japan 2020 Did not enterDid not enter
France 2024 Withdrew from qualificationWithdrew
United States 2028 Did not enterDid not enter
Total — 0/8 — — — — — — — — — — — —

AFC Women's Asian Cup

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AFC Women's Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1975 to China 2010 Did not existDid not exist
Vietnam 2014 to Jordan 2018 Did not enterDid not enter
India 2022 Withdrew from qualificationWithdrew
Australia 2026 Did not enterDid not enter
Total — 0/21 — — — — — — — — — — — —

CAFA Women's Championship

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CAFA Women's Championship record
Year Result GP W D* L GS GA GD
Uzbekistan 2018Group stage4004032−32
Tajikistan 2022Did not enter
Total1/24004032−32
*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

SAFF Women's Championship

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SAFF Women's Championship record
Year Result GP W D* L GS GA GD
Bangladesh 2010Group stage3012218−16
Sri Lanka 2012Semi-final4112619−13
Pakistan 2014Group stage3003119−18
India 2016Group stage2002111−10
Nepal 2019Did not enter
Nepal 2022
Nepal 2024
India 2026
Total4/7121291067−57
*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Head-to-head record

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Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD W% Confederation
 Bangladesh2002112−130AFC
 India3003128−270AFC
 Iran100106−60AFC
 Jordan2002011−110AFC
 Kazakhstan100102−20UEFA
 Kyrgyzstan210111050AFC
 Maldives302134−10AFC
 Nepal2002120−190AFC
 Pakistan210143+150AFC
 Qatar110020+2100AFC
 Tajikistan100105−50AFC
 Uzbekistan1001020−200AFC
Total 21 3 2 16 13 112 −99 —

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". 16 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Afghanistan: Fixtures and Results". FIFA. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Marzban, Omid (13 September 2007). "Afghanistan: Once Whipped By Taliban, Girl Makes Mark As Soccer Star". Rferl.org. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "The Afghan national womens [sic] soccer team | Journal Reporter". YouTube. 18 July 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  5. ↑ Nick Paton Walsh (8 June 2011). "Afghan women footballers risk death threats, disapproval". CNN. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Women's football in Afghanistan". BBC News. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Nordland, Rod (9 December 2010). "For a Women's Soccer Team, Competing Is a Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "NATO in Afghanistan – The Afghan ladies national football team". YouTube. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  9. ↑ "Bend It in Baden-Württemberg: Afghan Women Footballers Hone Their Skills in Stuttgart – SPIEGEL ONLINE". Der Spiegel. Spiegel.de. February 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Johannsen, Alissa (26 July 2011). "Afghanistan Women: Kicking and Dreaming". Women's Health Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "How European nations helped Afghanistan women hone their football skills". FIFA. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Khalida Popal, Afghanistan football pioneer: 'If the haters couldn't stop me, Trump can't'". The Guardian. 15 March 2017.
  13. ↑ "Afghan authorities probe allegations of abuse in women's soccer team". Reuters. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  14. ↑ Wrack, Suzanne (30 November 2018). "Fifa examining claims of sexual and physical abuse on Afghanistan women's team". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  15. ↑ Wrack, Suzanne (8 June 2019). "Afghanistan's football president banned for life for sexual abuse". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Wrack, Suzanne (14 July 2020). "Former Afghan football president's life ban for abusing female players upheld". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Anderson, Jason. "Afghan refugee team to play in FIFA Unites Women's Series soccer tournament". USA Today. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  18. ↑ Nestler, Stefan (21 March 2023). "Afghanistan: the national women's football team that isn't". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  19. ↑ Khalil, Shaimaa (24 July 2023). "Afghanistan women's team representing a country that doesn't recognise them". BBC Sport. Melbourne. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "Former Afghan women's captain tells players to burn kits, delete photos". Reuters. 18 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Afghan women footballers removed from danger and taken to Australia". Sky Sports. United Kingdom. 25 August 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  22. ↑ Woodyatt, Amy; Snell, Patrick (29 November 2021). "Safe and alive, but 'traumatized,' the future of these Afghan women footballers is very uncertain". CNN. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Exiled Afghanistan women's national team say FIFA's rules hinder participation after Taliban's return to power". CBS Sports. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Afghanistan women's team in exile wants FIFA recognition". ESPN.com. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  25. ↑ Lynch, Joey (18 March 2022). "Afghanistan Women's National Team to play in Victorian leagues". ESPN. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Fixture For Women's State League 4 West – GameDay". GameDay. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  27. ↑ "Kim Kardashian and Leeds United help Afghan junior women's football team arrive in UK after escaping Taliban". Sky Sports. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  28. ↑ Frith, Will (22 May 2022). "Afghanistan Women's Development team to play in Surrey". SheKicks. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  29. ↑ Stefan Nestler (21 March 2023). "Afghanistan: the national women's football team that isn't". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  30. ↑ Millar, Colin (9 May 2025). "FIFA sanctions creation of Afghanistan women's refugee team". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  31. ↑ "FIFA OKs creation of Afghanistan women's refugee team". 10 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  32. ↑ "FIFA announces first coach of Afghan women's refugee team". ABC News. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  33. ↑ Roberts, Bianca (22 November 2025). "Afghan women's football team's international comeback defies Taliban ban". ABC News. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  34. ↑ "FIFA and AFC enable Afghan women to represent their country in official matches through landmark governance reform". inside.fifa.com. 29 April 2026.
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