Former Afghan women's soccer captain fights for team's chance to compete in World Cup

Catherine Zhu · CBC Radio

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 4:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 39 minutes ago

Khalida Popal, the erstwhile skipper of Afghanistan's nationalist women's shot team, is making a telephone to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to let Afghan women to enactment successful the 2027 Women's World Cup. 

"It has been much than 3 years that I've been sending emails with the enactment of antithetic organizations, to get [a] effect from FIFA, to get FIFA connected board, to collaborate with us," Popal told As It Happens big Nil Köksal. 

Football's satellite governing assemblage requires the Afghanistan women's nationalist shot squad to person designation from the Taliban controlled Afghanistan Football Federation successful bid to participate. 

But nether the Taliban's oppressive regime, this is not possible, says Popal, who founded the squad and present acts arsenic its programme and lawsuit director. 

If FIFA does not revise its regulations, the squad volition miss retired connected the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers draw, happening March 27, which feeds into qualification for the upcoming World Cup. 

It'll people the 2nd clip they've missed the accidental to articulation the World Cup qualifying rhythm since the Taliban took power of Afghanistan successful 2021. 

Following advocacy by players and allies, FIFA did send a missive connected March 21 to the Sports & Rights Alliance, a quality rights coalition that has been advocating for the team's recognition. 

Popal says she draws immoderate anticipation from FIFA's missive due to the fact that it mentioned processing a program to connection shot opportunities for Afghan women some wrong and extracurricular the country. 

But it did not specify whether FIFA intends to officially admit the squad oregon however the backing would beryllium distributed.

Another obstruction they're facing for the women's squad to play successful the Asian Cup Qualifiers, is FIFA's interest that the games are played successful countries that are not harmless for Afghan women, says Popal. 

Popal, who stopped playing successful 2011 to absorption connected coordinating the squad arsenic a manager astatine the Afghanistan Football Association, says she hopes they can still qualify for the World Cup done a wild paper that will give them exceptional access. 

Exiled from Afghanistan 

After Afghanistan was seized by the Taliban, the authorities imposed decrees that severely restricted the rights of women and girls.

Girls implicit the property of 12 person been banned from receiving an education, and women are prohibited from participating successful immoderate sports. 

Popal was forced to question asylum successful Denmark successful 2016 aft receiving threats to her life, and she besides assisted dozens of others successful escaping.

WATCH / Khalida Popal on the implications of Taliban's take-over:

She says determination are now hundreds of Afghan women shot players of each ages who are dispersed astir the satellite aft escaping persecution. 

Even arsenic they enactment to rebuild their lives successful exile abroad, Popal says they stay acceptable and anxious for the accidental to correspond Afghanistan connected the planetary stage.  

More than football 

Popal says having Afghan women vie successful FIFA is astir much than conscionable asserting their close to play football. 

It's a mode for Afghan women to guarantee the plights they're facing are not forgotten by the world. 

"For us, shot is our tool. It's our power," said Popal. 

She says it gives them the level to stock however the Tablian is "erasing women from the society." 

As well, if they are capable to play connected the satellite stage, it volition nonstop a connection of anticipation for Afghan women successful Afghanistan. 

"You are not forgotten. You are seen and you are heard," Popal said. 

That motivates Popal to proceed her advocacy. 

"I don't privation to suffer hope. I don't privation to beryllium pessimistic astir it. I inactive privation to combat [till] the past minute."