FIFA Announces UAE Women’s Series Featuring Afghan Refugee Team’s International Debut
FIFA’s event offers displaced Afghan players a sanctioned stage following the Taliban’s 2021 ban on women’s sport.
Overview
- The tournament runs October 23–29 in the United Arab Emirates with teams from the Afghan refugee squad, Chad, Libya and the UAE.
- All matches will be streamed on FIFA+, and the competition will use a round-robin format with the top team crowned champion.
- A 23-player Afghan squad was selected through three trials held in Australia and England between July and September from about 70 registrants.
- Chad and Libya will seek their first FIFA ranking points, while the UAE, currently 116th, targets progress toward the top 100.
- FIFA framed the series as an inclusion initiative, with President Gianni Infantino emphasizing access to the game and thanking the UAE for hosting.