In a busy changing room in New Zealand, players from the Afghan women's football team hug each other and tighten their boots. An Afghan flag hangs on the wall, and patriotic music plays while some players wipe away tears. For the first time in years, the players are together again, preparing to step onto the pitch.
The 23-player squad, now competing as Afghan Women United, travelled to Auckland for a training camp and two friendly matches against the Cook Islands. The team brings together Afghan women who now live abroad as refugees in countries including Australia, the UK, and Portugal.
When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, they placed severe restrictions on women. Girls were banned from secondary school and university, barred from most jobs, and forbidden from playing sports. Members of the national women's team, which was formed in 2007, were evacuated from Kabul to stay safe.
After years of campaigning, football governing body FIFA ruled in April that the refugee team could represent Afghanistan in official matches. The ruling allows the squad to attempt to qualify for major global tournaments, such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
For the players, getting back on the field is deeply emotional. Player Manozh Noori, 23, who now lives in Australia, secretly played football as a teenager in Kabul. Before fleeing her country in 2021, she buried her medals and trophies in her family garden, hoping to return one day to dig them up.
Another player, 24-year-old Mursal Sadat, was evacuated from Kabul in 2021 and works as a football coach and refugee advocate. She says football gave her a voice and a chance at a different future when millions of women in Afghanistan were silenced.
Now, playing together in New Zealand, the team hopes to send a message of strength and unity to Afghan women around the world.