After having contested their first-ever matches at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025™, Afghan Women United, the FIFA-funded Afghan women’s refugee team coached by former Scotland international Pauline Hamill, are now seeking to take their game to the next level. After player selection took centre stage following the team’s creation last year, the goal is now to offer players access to a high-performance environment that enables them to make their mark in the professional ranks of the game and at international level.

The vastly experienced Hamill, her assistant coaches and the health, fitness and support staff involved with the team oversaw the first training camp of the year in Doncaster, England, from 9 to 12 February, with the support and collaboration of Doncaster Rovers.

“In phase one, we identified and supported female Afghan players who were displaced in 2021, with the aim of creating a safe environment in which they could play international matches and share their stories,” said Ms Hamill in reference to the first stage of the groundbreaking project.

“We’re now looking to provide tailored support for each player worldwide, enhance our competitive environment and take a holistic approach with a larger group. Players will receive remote education, and they’ll attend regional training camps so that we can monitor their performance levels. We’ll be selecting a squad that’ll take part in two matches in June.”

Through the regional camps, Hamill and her staff are keen for the players to build on the lessons learned at the inaugural FIFA Unites: Women’s Series™ held in Berrechid, Morocco, last October and November. The camps will focus on developing players’ fitness, ball skills and tactical understanding through data analysis, testing and targeted coaching.

“Our squad and the staff are very motivated to improve ahead of our next international matches in June, by which time we want each player to have met their targets across technical, tactical, strength, endurance, speed and agility aspects. Many of our players are now playing for club sides, where they face big challenges in training and matches,” added Ms Hamill.

“On the back of the competition in Morocco, it’s really special to be coming together again for a training camp in the United Kingdom. Since the tournament, I think the group has really grown. Everyone’s more focused, more professional and more confident on and off the pitch. We all understand each other better as players, and that helps us to play more like a team. The standards are higher and the expectations are clear, which pushes us to improve every day,” commented Elaha Safdari, who keeps goal for the team and Doncaster Rovers Belles.

The shot-stopper went on to reflect on the significance of the programme off the pitch.

“We’re using football as a voice for Afghan women and girls who don’t have access to basic human rights. We’re playing not only for ourselves, but for them too. I’m grateful for this opportunity and for everything FIFA is doing for us. It means a lot to us, and we’ll keep working hard to make the most of the opportunity and ensure that our family and people are proud of us.”

The training camp in Doncaster was the first of a series of scheduled get-togethers as the eligible players vie for a spot in the 23-strong squad that will be involved in two international matches during the June window of the Women’s International Match Calendar 2026-2029. Further information on the fixtures will be announced in the coming months.

The FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, which was approved by the FIFA Council last May, is designed to improve Afghan women’s well-being and opportunities to participate in football. The landmark initiative takes into account the participants’ journey, their needs and the challenges that they continue to face. Despite the increased demands placed on the Afghan Women United players with the roll-out of the high-performance provision, their safety and dignity continue to be cornerstones of the project.

This year, the programme is evolving through the implementation of a three-pillar, FIFA-led support package that is tailored to the individual needs of nearly 90 players. The physical support pillar covers the provision of football equipment and club fees, as well as registration fees for up to two years. Under this pillar, players are introduced to clubs in their area, provided with a tailored strength and conditioning plan and receive guidance from football coaches and mentors.

The educational support pillar provides players with the opportunity to enrol on coaching and refereeing courses, and they are invited to join mentorship communities run by the U.S. Soccer Federation. In addition, players are given access to learning resources, including the FIFA Training Centre and LinkedIn Learning, and offered the chance to study for the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Diploma, which runs over an 18-month period.

Finally, the well-being support pillar offers players access to counselling and well-being programmes and online language courses, while participants are signed up for FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service.

Each player will be assigned a FIFA support manager, who will assist them in implementing the support package, with a view to ensuring that each Afghan Women United squad member is given every opportunity to thrive and perform at their best.

This trailblazing initiative, which provides Afghan women’s refugee players with an international platform on which to perform following an absence from the global stage that spanned nearly four years, kicked off with player selection camps held in England and Australia last year. Hamill and her staff ran the rule over approximately 70 players, with those who made the cut named in Afghan Women United’s inaugural 23-strong squad for the maiden FIFA Unites: Women’s Series, the four-team friendly tournament held at the Stade Municipal de Berrechid, where the side pitted their wits against Chad, Libya and Tunisia.

After slipping to spirited defeats against the Chadians and the Tunisians in their opening two games, Hamill’s charges bounced back in style in their third outing, in which they eased to a 7-0 success over Libya. That victory saw Afghan Women United claim third place in the round-robin tournament. Following the arduous, valiant journeys that they have travelled from their homeland to their adopted countries and now onto the international stage, the Afghan Women United players served up some heart-warming scenes as they shared in some touching post-tournament celebrations. The players left Morocco with their heads held high in what was just the start of their adventure.

The FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, which comprises three pillars, is a long-term pledge to support Afghan women at home and abroad. The first and second pillars respectively concern the provision of humanitarian and logistical support for women in Afghanistan and the use of advocacy and diplomacy with relevant actors and organisations regarding long-term access to sport. The third pillar relates to providing support for players based outside Afghanistan and has involved the creation of Afghan Women United.

FIFA’s mission to unite the world through football involves a commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to the game. Establishing Afghan Women United has involved the negotiation of a series of exceptional legal, administrative and logistical complexities, with the world-leading initiative having been hailed as a resounding success. The founding of the team provides Afghan women’s refugee players with the chance to pursue their footballing dreams, with the project now entering a phase that seeks to help players realise their ambitions in the elite game.