How Afghanistan women’s football teammade it to Australia – in pictures
Women’s football is a sport still making a slow, steady creep into the lives of thousands of Afghan women, according to many members of the Team Afghanistan team who travelled to Australia, where they will spend a month training for the Asian Championship competition.
It was their first international tournament and they did well, winning the team tournament and qualifying for the semi-finals, where they lost 3-0 to eventual winners Thailand.
Team Afghanistan are members of the Afghan National Team and are also training for the Olympic qualifiers in Qatar next month.
In a statement, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) said: “”Women’s football is growing in all parts of the world and is becoming increasingly popular.
“We have the opportunity this morning to congratulate the Afghanistan Women’s Football Team on their qualifying for the Asian Championship Women’s Football Tournament and we wish them all the best as they take part in this exciting event.”
FIFA will publish its report into women’s sports on Monday.