This is bigger than a training camp. In a sport that talks endlessly about pathways, access and opportunity, the Afghan Women United reunion in New Zealand is a reminder that football still matters most when it gives people a way back into the game. After years of campaigning, travel headaches and forced separation, the 23-player squad is together again — and that alone is a statement.
The timing matters too. In April, Fifa ruled that the Afghan women's team could represent their country in official matches in the future. That is not a small administrative detail. It is the difference between being frozen out of the sport and having a route back to international football. For players who have spent years trying to keep a team alive while spread across several countries, it is a rare piece of clarity.
A team scattered, then brought back together
The story starts back in 2007, when Afghanistan's national women's team was formed. Then came August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power and the team could no longer play. The players were evacuated and resettled across several countries, making proper training almost impossible. Over the past five years, even getting travel documents in order has been a struggle. That is the reality behind this reunion: not just sporting disruption, but the constant fight to keep a team connected at all.
Now the squad has travelled to New Zealand for a training camp and two unofficial friendly games against the Cook Islands. The trip covers 8,000 miles, which tells you everything about how far this team has had to go — literally and figuratively — simply to share a pitch again. For Afghan Women United, the refugee team created after years of campaigning, the gathering is a fresh start but also a stark reminder of what has been taken away.
What Fatima Haidari said says it all
Midfielder Fatima Haidari put the mood into words with a message to her teammates: “Be strong as always because we are representing Afghan women.” That is the line that gives this whole story its force. This is not just about a squad getting back to work. It is about representation, identity and the stubborn refusal to disappear from the game entirely.
Football on TV today is full of noise, hype and convenience. This is something else. It is football as endurance. It is football as proof of life. And after years in exile, Afghan Women United finally have something they have not had enough of: a chance to be seen together, play together and look ahead again.
