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.