Afghan Women United or Afghan Women is a women's football selection team sanctioned by FIFA which represents the Afghan diaspora.
The team was formed following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and the subsequent abolishment of the official women's national team by the Afghanistan Football Federation.
History
2021 exodus Tha Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) organized a women's national football team during the Islamic Republic era. That national team played their last official match, a 5–0 loss to Tajikistan, on 1 December 2018 at the 2018 CAFA Women's Championship.
However following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, the national team players were evacuated out of the country. The Taliban has banned women's sports in the country including football.
In March 2022, the exiled national team was admitted into Football Victoria in Australia as Melbourne Victory FC AWT. In May 2022, an Afghan development side played a friendly against non-FIFA team Surrey in Dorking, England.
The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has refused to recognize a women's national team; either consisting of diaspora or local players. Nevertheless, Afghan women has urged FIFA to allow them to play as a national team independent from the AFF.
Formation In May 2025, FIFA sanctioned the creation of a Afghanistan women's refugee team which would be allowed to compete in official tournaments. The program was due to run for one year under a pilot phase. Pauline Hamill was appointed as head coach and was tasked to hold three identification camps prior to playing FIFA-approved friendlies in late 2025. Reportedly they were still unable to compete in international competitions.
FIFA Unites: Women's Series The Afghanistan refugee team, also known as Afghan Women United, made their debut in the four-nation "FIFA Unites: Women's Series" friendly tournament, originally scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates. However, the UAE refused to issue visas to the Afghan players and the tournament was moved to Morocco. They played against Chad, Tunisia, and Libya and finished as third placers.
FIFA recognition as a national team The team became eligible to represent Afghanistan starting from April 2026 following a meeting from the FIFA Council. Afghan Women United played two friendly matches against the Cook Islands in June 2026, losing 1–0 and 3–0.
Results and fixtures
2025
2026
Current squad The following players are part of Afghan Women United as of 15 May 2026 and were expected to play in international friendlies against the Cook Islands on 4 and 8 June 2026.
Coaching history Name Period Matches Wins Draws Losses Winning % Pauline Hamill 2025– 5 1 0 4 %
Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup FIFA Women's World Cup recordQualification record Year Round Position 2027 Ineligible to qualify Ineligible to qualify 2031 To be determined To be determined 2035 To be determined To be determined Total — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Summer Olympics Summer Olympics record Qualification record Year Round Position 2028 Ineligible to qualify Ineligible to qualify Total — — — — — — — — — — — — —
AFC Women's Asian Cup AFC Women's Asian Cup record Qualification record Year Round Position 2026 Ineligible to qualify Ineligible to qualify Total — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SAFF Women's Championship SAFF Women's Championship recordYearResult 2026Did not enterTotal0/7———————
*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Honours FIFA Unites Women's Series Third Place: 2025
See also Afghan Women's XI, an Afghan refugee cricket team Defection of Iran women's national football team
References