Stripped of its context, it seemed an ordinary moment. A player tumbling to the ground. A referee’s whistle. A penalty scored. An early lead.

But, as Manozh Noori raised a fist to the sky to celebrate her first international goal in her first international game, the significance to her and her teammates was overwhelming.

“It was the moment of happiness for everyone,” Noori told DW after the match.

“All of my teammates came to me and hugged me,” she said. “It was such a great moment for all of us. I dedicate this goal to all of those in Afghanistan, because they deserve happiness.”

It has been a long time in the making. Afghanistan’s women’s football team last played an international match in 2021, before the Taliban returned to power in the country later that year. The Islamic fundamentalist nationalist movement has relentlessly repressed women since regaining power and, according to the United Nations, “is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life.”

All of the players on the pitch in late October were forced to flee, with playing sport in public placing a target firmly on their backs. Just over half of the squad eventually found a home in Australia; other playes settled in various European countries.

Sport a faraway, but achievable, dream

Since they were exiled, regaining their status as international footballers — which means recognition from the game’s global governors FIFA — has been the preoccupation for many. Though they are driven by playing at the top level, their deeper motivation is always front of mind.

“Girls in Afghanistan don’t have any rights right now. Playing sport is maybe a faraway dream, but just a very simple one is studying and having education and they don’t have it,” goalkeeper Fatima Yousufi told DW.

“It’s just the biggest motivation for us to do this for all those girls,” Yousufi said. “We’re showing them that their dreams are valid.”

Those thoughts and memories of their homeland were etched on the faces of the players as they saw their flag fly and heard their anthem play before kickoff against Chad, who eventually won 6-1 on Sunday, with tears flowing freely.

While FIFA started the process of recognizing the team in May, they are currently playing as Afghan Women United, a name picked in conjunction with the players that replaced their old status as the Afghanistan women’s refugee team. As such, the tournament they are playing in is composed of friendly matches, with Libya and Tunisia also involved. Afghanistan’s men’s team continue to compete on the global stage under Taliban control.

Yousufi was one of those who played in the team’s last fixture as Afghanistan — before the Taliban retook control following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Women’s football has moved on rapidly since then, with increased professionalization, booming ticket sales in many countries and increased media interest.

Afghanistan have lots of catching up to do

With players scattered across the globe and having also to concentrate on building new lives in unfamiliar lands, Afghanistan have plenty of catching up to do. That process was not helped by the delay and last-minute change of venue for the tournament after the Afghan players’ visas were rejected by the United Arab Emirates, who had initially agreed to host, and play, in it. No official statement has yet been offered as to the reason for that rejection, but the UAE has strong diplomatic links with the Taliban.

“It’s very difficult, when you’ve not played international football for four years, to understand what the level is, because even in that time the game has changed a lot,” said the team’s Scottish coach, Pauline Hamill.

“I think you can see that there’s a level of potential there,” Hamill said. “I think it was a case of ‘Welcome to international football’ [in the first game], and now: ‘How do we improve moving forward? I think that’s the key message.”

FIFA promises ongoing support

After another defeat, to Tunisia, the Afghan side showed that improvement with a 7-0 win over Libya to end the tournament on a high. But, after fighting so hard to be heard and recognized for four years, the Afghan players see this as merely a first step on the path back to a sporting existence somewhat like the one they had before their lives were upended.

FIFA  president, Gianni Infantino turned up to the team’s second match, posing for pictures and declaring the tournament the start of a “beautiful, beautiful story”. He has also promised to “continue to stand by all Afghan women” and “work tirelessly to ensure that every one of them receives the support they deserve to play the game they love.”

But what happens next is not yet clear. With a government unwilling to support them, competetive fixtures are currently impossible and none are arranged as the year ends. 

While they may not yet be representing their country in quite the way they want, this group of exiled women has shown their resilience time and time again. As Yousufi puts it, complete with a hint of Australian twang: “Never give up on your dreams, girls.”

Edited by: Chuck Penfold. This article is part of DW Sports’ Best of 2025 series in which we revisit some of our outstanding features from the past year. The article has been updated to reflect the latter stages of the FIFA Unites tournament.

Three years ago, a team of exiled Afghan women looked on with frustration as the Women’s World Cup took place in the Australian cities where they lived.

The displaced players have come a long way since then, but the Women’s Asian Cup, which starts in Australia on March 1, is both an inspiration and a reminder of the many hurdles they must still clear to play international matches.

“I couldn’t stop crying the entire time as it reminded me of a time that I was able to take that pride and play for my country [before the return of the Taliban in 2021],” defender Mursal Sadat told DW of her memories of the 2023 World Cup, at which point Afghanistan had no women’s national team. “Hopefully, Afghanistan will be competing by the next qualifiers.”

The dream of competing for Afghanistan at a World Cup moved a step closed last October when an Afghan women’s team branded as Afghan Women United were recognized by FIFA and played in a friendly tournament in Morocco.

‘Eager to represent Afghanistan again’ 

The team’s first major step on the path to international recognition from football’s governing body was an emotional and sporting milestone after a four-year battle to be heard. But four months later, they have yet to play another fixture.

“Morocco was a big milestone, but for us it is only the beginning,” UK-based goalkeeper Elaha Safdari told DW. “As players, we are always eager to represent Afghanistan again. Of course, we want more international matches, but we have stayed disciplined, training hard and improving as a team. We know the staff is working behind the scenes to create more opportunities so we remain ready and motivated.”

After a period of silence, FIFA announced on Monday that Afghanistan will play two unnamed opponents in the June international break, with further information to follow “in the coming months.” Those players based in Europe were involved in a training camp in Doncaster, England, earlier this month, while those based in Australia are set for something similar later in the year.

Given the team’s struggles for recognition, trauma and the development gap that has emerged after missing four years of international competition, the World Cup in Brazil next year, was always going to come too soon. March’s Asian Cup will decide which Asian teams qualify for Brazil 2027 — the semifinalists will make it automatically, while the losing quarterfinalists will go into a series of playoffs for the remaining four Asian spots.

Taliban and UAE ties ‘logical explanation’ for visa rejection

Like Afghanistan, the UAE will not be at Brazil 2027 after failing to qualify for the Asian Cup. It’s fair to say they also won’t be the Afghan team’s opponents in June either, after the Gulf state refused to allow the Afghanistan players to enter the country in October, forcing a last minute change of host country to Morocco.

FIFA has since repeatedly refused to answer any questions from DW on why the UAE, who had agreed to host and play the team, reneged on the deal. It appears more than likely that the UAE’s relationship with the Taliban was the reason for the refusal.

“That appears to be the most reasonable and logical explanation,” Alison Battisson, the Australian human rights lawyer who helped the team find asylum in Australia and maintains close contact with the players, told DW. “The UAE can turn around visas in hours for a team. If it is true that they went quiet on FIFA in that week beforehand, withdrew visas that had been granted or didn’t grant visas, that is really quite extraordinary.

“To me, it says that, without explanation, somebody much more senior and not really that concerned about women’s sport stepped in and said we have to prioritize this other interest, which I can only assume is economic interest in Afghanistan.”

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FIFA doubles down on UAE relationship

DW understands this is also the suspicion of many players, but FIFA’s silence leaves the situation unclear. The organization, headed by Gianni Infantino, were less tight-lipped when they announced “the launch of a new annual world football awards event in Dubai [in the UAE]” on December 29, two months after the visa refusal.

From this year, the press release said, these awards will be the “official annual FIFA awards ceremony that gathers the world’s most influential football figures, celebrating the best players, teams, and achievements of the beautiful game for the previous year.”

Given what happened in October, it’s safe to assume the players of Afghanistan Women United would not be able to attend such a ceremony.

While Afghan players past and present do express gratitude for FIFA’s support, the explicit backing of a country that rejected a team FIFA has recognized is impossible to square with the governing body’s commitment to use “advocacy and diplomacy with relevant actors and organizations regarding long-term access to sport” for the Afghan women.

Afghan defender Sadat has, like most of her teammates, been a determined advocate for their cause. While the players have little control over geopolitics, she retains the faith that they can endure and compete in the qualifiers for the next Asian Cup in 2029.

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“Re-creation and recognition of the Afghan women’s national team from exile is something that millions of Afghans want because it’s a protest against the regime of the Taliban,” Sadat said to DW. “It’s a slap from the football world to say: ‘you are trying to silence them and stop them from playing, but we are still here, and we are giving them the platform to rise, shine and use their sport as a weapon to fight against the gender apartheid and injustice.’”

Afghan cricket’s rise amid war and Taliban rule

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Edited by: Jonathan Harding

Team India batter Rinku Singh might not be available for the upcoming crucial T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match against Zimbabwe as he has left the squad due to a family emergency. The upcoming contest is scheduled to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on Thursday, February 26.

According to a report by the Times of India, Rinku Singh was absent from the mandatory training session ahead of the do-or-die match.

“It is reliably learnt that his father was undergoing cancer treatment for over a year, and his condition has deteriorated in the last few days,” the report read.

Team India have a wide variety of options on the bench as they appear to head into the match with a blend of forced and unforced changes after the nature of their most recent Super 8 match. One of the tasks would be to replace Rinku Singh in such a fashion that does not hamper the balance too much as he was the sole specialist finisher in the squad.

On that note, let us take a look at the three ways India can replace Rinku Singh in the IND vs ZIM T20 World Cup 2026 match.

#1 Sanju Samson in for Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh’s absence undoubtedly leaves a hole in Team India’s lower middle-order. However, it comes across as an opportunity to repair or even bolster the top-order which has proven to be the biggest bane in the T20 World Cup 2026, without which resolving other problems seems redundant.

Although Sanju Samson coming in for Rinku Singh is hardly a like-for-like swap, it does allow them to break their left-handed trend at the top of the order. The change also demotes the struggling Tilak Varma to a No.5 role where, although there is a touch of unfamiliarty there is a bit of ease in terms of pressure.

With the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and the in-form Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube around him, there is no need for him to become the backbone of the batting unit.

The change also does not tarnish India’s batting depth, nor does it affect India’s bowling resources or combination by any means.

#2 Axar Patel in for Rinku Singh

Team India sorely felt the absence of their vice-captain during the humbling loss against South Africa in the Super 8. While it is almost certain that Axar Patel has to return to the playing XI, it need not necessarily be as a straight-swap for Washington Sundar, especially now that Rinku Singh’s spot might be vacant.

Bringing in Axar Patel gives India the third spin bowling option that they have tried to incorporate, and perhaps even need to. His return to the playing XI in place of Rinku Singh, keeps Washington Sundar part of the side, who could play a role on his home ground.

It also gives India a much better roster of six bowlers, instead of having to turn to Shivam Dube on every occasion. Despite the pace bowling all-rounder’s undeniable improvement in terms of increase in pace, bowling smartness, and ability to break partnerships, India cannot afford any more slip-ups from here on, which calls for the need for a proper proven option even for a sixth choice bowler.

With both Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the setup, they can use the former as a proper floater at No.5 to combat the likes of wrist spinner Graeme Cremer.

#3 Kuldeep Yadav in for Rinku Singh

The defeat against South Africa highlighted that even the No. 1-ranked T20I bowler, Varun Chakaravarthy, can be torn to shreds, and India do not really have a Plan B in such a scenario. With Rinku Singh likely not to be in the scheme of things against Zimbabwe, it gives the management an excellent opportunity to reintegrate Kuldeep Yadav back into the mix.

The Zimbabwe batters will find it quite hard to deal with the mystery of Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav in tandem at Chepauk, which may have something in it for the spinners.

This particular change might have an impact on the batting depth as a long tail of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh follows the No.7 spot. However, despite recent form, the batting unit has enough reputation and calibre outscore Zimbabwe, especially if they have four specialist bowlers to back up their act across either innings.