Afghan Women’s Football Team in Exile Heads to Morocco for FIFA Unites Tournament

The Afghan women’s national football team in exile has traveled to Morocco to take part in the upcoming FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025, an international tournament designed to support and spotlight displaced women athletes.

According to a statement from FIFA, the competition was originally scheduled to be held in Dubai, but due to visa complications affecting Afghan players, both the venue and the start date were changed. The matches will now begin this Sunday in Morocco.

The Afghan side is set to face the national teams of Chad, Tunisia, and Libya in the group stage — marking their first major international appearance since leaving Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power.

Participation in this tournament represents a powerful moment of visibility and resilience for a team that has been forced to rebuild its identity in exile. The players, many of whom now live scattered across different countries, see this event as an opportunity to reclaim their right to play, compete, and be seen.

This is also the first time the team will compete under the FIFA Unites initiative — a new global program launched to support exiled or displaced teams and to promote solidarity and inclusion in women’s sport.