Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A tournament that included a team of refugee female football players afghanistan has been transferred to morocco And moved to the end of this week, fifa Confirmed on Wednesday.
The tournament, called FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025, was originally scheduled for Dubai starting on Thursday, and was also to include Chad. Libya and hosts United Arab Emirates.
The revised tournament begins on Sunday and will feature refugee teams Chad, Tunisia and Libya. FIFA, football’s global governing body and organizer of the event, did not give any reason for the move.
In AustraliaThere were media reports that players were unable to obtain visas for the United Arab Emirates, where many of the refugee team members lived.
Afghanistan has not played official women’s competitive sport since 2018, and the return of the Taliban regime to power in 2021 has shut down women’s sport. The Afghan Football Federation has obligations under FIFA statutes to avoid discrimination, although it has not been suspended from international football.
While players have fought for official recognition, the FIFA-backed refugee team cannot yet officially represent Afghanistan in World Cup qualifying.
In a statement, FIFA reiterated “its continued commitment to the ongoing implementation of the comprehensive FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, which was approved by the FIFA Council in May 2025, including the organization and comprehensive support provided to female Afghan players during the selection process and preparation ahead of the FIFA Unites Women’s Series 2025.”
FIFA said that refugee players who have fled Afghanistan and settled in other countries have chosen the team name Afghan Women United.
Tunisia is ranked 96th in the world, while Chad and Libya do not yet have a FIFA ranking.
All games in the round-robin tournament will be broadcast live on FIFA’s in-house streaming platform.
,
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer