Malala Yousafzai calls out FIFA and ICC for failing brave Afghan female athletes in exile

Life for women changed drastically once the Taliban reclaimed control in Afghanistan in 2021. Schools were shut for girls, gyms were shut, and women athletes were not allowed to play and train anymore.

Now, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is asking big sports groups to help Afghan women who had to leave their country. She says letting them play again is not just about sport, it’s a way to fight back against the Taliban’s rules. Groups like FIFA and ICC must now decide how to support these brave women.

Why does Malala Yousafzai believe empowering Afghan female athletes is so important

In a CNN Sports interview on July 1, 2025, Malala Yousafzai said that giving Afghan female athletes better chances to compete shows real “bravery and courage.”

She wants international groups to act now. She said: “They can definitely find opportunities for these players to play, and this is a form of resistance against the Taliban”.

The Taliban forbid women from sports, school, and public places. Female athletes have fled to places such as Australia but they are in exile. When Malala Yousafzai met the Afghan women's soccer team at the 2023 Women's World Cup, she felt their plight was especially tragic.

She said: “It was truly heartbreaking … while stadiums were full, there was a team from Afghanistan who cannot play in their country”.

Malala Yousafzai points to FIFA ICC and international groups to lead change

Malala Yousafzai sees promises already made. In 2025, FIFA approved a Strategy for Action for Afghan women’s football. They said a refugee Afghan women’s team will begin “as soon as possible.” Malala Yousafzai calls this a “significant step forward” but she says it must go further.

She also says the ICC set up a task force in April 2025 to support displaced female cricketers and offered help via a special fund. But many feel sports bodies are slow to act. Afghan player Mursal Sadat said the delay has already cost them two World Cup chances.Malala Yousafzai believes that if FIFA, ICC, and others are bold, they can give these women a platform. She said: “Playing and practicing every right for Afghan women is a form of resistance … against the Taliban”.Also Read: Taliban Bans Chess In Afghanistan, Calls It 'Haram'