After a frustrating false start, are set to play their first official match since 2021 in Morocco.
On Monday, three days before the “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series” was due to kick off in the , football’s world governing body, FIFA, announced would be the new hosts.
The tournament was taken out of the UAE after the to enter the country.
Initially slated for October 23, the matches will now begin on October 26, giving players, coaches and organizers a tight timeframe to travel, acclimatize and train before the matches.
Fourth team and schedule unclear
Chad and Libya will be make up the second and third teams of the four-team round-robin tournament but with the UAE now withdrawn from the list of participants, the fourth team is yet to be announced, as is the match schedule.
“FIFA would like to thank the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) and looks forward to working together to host a successful tournament,” read a press statement release by the organization on Monday.
The North African country is currently hosting the FIFA under-17 , which finishes on November 8, meaning it will overlap with the newly moved tournament. Morocco will also host matches of the and have hosted the last three women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, though these are not run by FIFA.
Though a team of Afghan refugees has been playing in the regional leagues in Australia, its first match in Morocco will be the first time the team has played together since the return of the .
New name for Afghan team
“It’s not just about wearing jersey of the Afghan team. It’s also about representing so many of the Afghan women that have been silenced and haven’t got any voice to share it with the world. They have been banned from every single human right,” defender Najma Arefi told DW earlier this month.
FIFA took the decision in May to start to welcome Afghanistan’s women back into the fold with its “Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football” and emphasized what it called its “continued commitment” to development of the team and sport in its statement.
To mark the delayed occasion, the Afghan team is being rebranded, henceforth to be known as Afghan Women United. According to Monday’s statement, the name, which replaces “Afghan women’s refugee team,” was selected by the players in conjunction with FIFA.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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