SportsPlayers use football to champion Afghan women’s rights

The 23 members of Afghanistan’s women’s football team who now live abroad have travelled to New Zealand for a training camp. They are also due to play two unofficial friendly matches against the Cook Islands. Banned from playing in Afghanistan, the players are together for the first time since FIFA ruled in April 2026 that they could represent their country in official matches in the future. Their return to the pitch highlights their campaign for Afghan women’s rights.