FIFA's Historic Decision Empowers Afghan Women Footballers
FIFA Council Approves Groundbreaking Amendment
In a significant move, the FIFA Council has approved a crucial amendment to its Governance Regulations, allowing Afghan female players, including those from the FIFA-supported Afghan Women United team, to represent their nation in official international competitions. This landmark decision enables the FIFA Council, in collaboration with the relevant confederation, to register a national team under exceptional circumstances when a Member Association is unable to do so. The goal is to ensure that players are not barred from international football due to uncontrollable situations, aligning with FIFA’s core principles of universality, inclusion, and non-discrimination.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, “This is a powerful and unprecedented step in world sport. FIFA has listened to these players as part of its responsibility to protect the right of every girl and woman to play football and to represent who they are. By enabling Afghan women to compete for their country in official matches, we are turning principles into action. FIFA is proud to lead this historic initiative and to stand alongside these courageous players on and off the pitch.”
This reform is part of the FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, which was endorsed by the FIFA Council in May of the previous year. It follows the establishment of Afghan Women United, a FIFA-supported team that provides structured playing opportunities for Afghan women footballers living abroad. For the first time, these players will now have the chance to represent their country in official matches with full sporting recognition.
Members of the independent advisory group for the FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football have hailed this decision as transformative. Nadia Nadim, an Afghan-born player who has earned over 100 caps for Denmark, remarked, “This decision recognises Afghan women footballers not as victims of circumstance, but as elite players with the right to compete, be seen and be respected. It shows what is possible when sport is guided by values and leadership.”
Former Afghanistan captain Khalida Popal expressed, “For these players, representing Afghanistan is about identity, dignity, and hope. Thanks are due to FIFA's leadership for listening to their biggest request and delivering a solution that no other sport has ever achieved. This moment also shows that when we stand united, we can achieve more.”
Andrea Florence, Executive Director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, added, “This reform sets a global precedent. It demonstrates that governing bodies can adapt their rules to protect human rights when extraordinary circumstances demand it.”
While the amendment takes immediate effect, FIFA will now initiate the necessary administrative and preparatory steps, including team registration and the establishment of an operational and sporting framework. The governing body will provide all essential resources—human, technical, and financial—to ensure a safe, professional, and sustainable pathway to official competition.
Support packages for Afghan Women United players will continue throughout the transition phase for up to two years, allowing the new structure to develop while upholding the highest standards of safeguarding, performance, and well-being. The FIFA-supported team is scheduled to hold their next training camp from June 1 to 9 in New Zealand, where they will also compete against the Cook Islands.