During halftime at Australia's World Cup match against Nigeria in Brisbane Stadium, the exiled Afghan women's national team, led by founder Khalida Popal, gathered to watch the game.

These players, who escaped the threat of the Taliban on an Australian military plane in 2021, dream of representing Afghanistan again if recognized by the sport's governing bodies.

Popal had pleaded for international help to evacuate the team from Afghanistan, where the Taliban had banned women from playing competitive sports. Now, she is urging FIFA to allow these players, living in the diaspora, to represent Afghanistan at international games.

The situation for women in Afghanistan has worsened under the Taliban's rule, with girls and women banned from schools and work and confined to their homes, except when accompanied by a male guardian. Human Rights Watch has called it the world's "most serious women's rights crisis."

The Afghan women's team recently attended a gender symposium in Brisbane, where they appealed to FIFA for recognition. FIFA officials spoke about their commitment to closing the gap between men's and women's football and investing in women's football.

While the FIFA officials did not directly address the Taliban's ban on women's sports or the team's request for recognition, the Afghan players continue to hope for the chance to represent their country again on the international stage.

The Afghan women's national team, exiled and now living in Australia after escaping the Taliban's threat of death, was welcomed at Brisbane Stadium during Australia's World Cup match against Nigeria.

Khalida Popal, the team's founder, met with the players and urged FIFA to recognize them as a national team once again. Two years ago, Popal sought international help to evacuate the players from Afghanistan when the Taliban banned women from playing competitive sports.

Now, she appeals to FIFA to allow these Afghan players from the diaspora to represent Afghanistan in international games. The Taliban's takeover has led to severe restrictions on women's rights, with girls and women being banned from schools and jobs and confined to their homes.

Last week, the Taliban closed all beauty salons, further limiting women's opportunities and livelihoods. The Afghan women's team attended a gender symposium in Brisbane, where FIFA's chief of women's football spoke about closing the gap between men's and women's football and addressing historical underfunding.

However, neither she nor FIFA's female secretary-general directly addressed the issue of the Taliban ban or the team's request for recognition.

FIFA stated that it does not have the authority to officially recognize a team unless it is first recognized by the concerned Member Association.

The Afghan Football Federation has informed FIFA that it is against its rules for the women's team to play through a club. The Federation cannot support or oppose the team playing as they fear the Taliban's repercussions if they recognize a team representing Afghanistan.

Gender equality is being promoted in the 2023 Women's World Cup through a partnership with UN Women, but human rights activist Craig Foster argues that FIFA's statutes require more than a social campaign. The Afghan women's team now plays in Melbourne's women's state league, hoping to recover from the trauma of leaving their country behind.

Melbourne Victory, the local club that took them in, continues to support their aspiration to be the legitimate national team of Afghanistan. Despite the disappointment of Australia's loss to Nigeria, the Matildas were heartened to learn that the Afghan women's team was in the crowd cheering them on.

Goalkeeper Fatima Yousifi believes that Afghanistan will change, as they are the change makers, and urged female players worldwide and their male allies to push FIFA to reinstate the Afghan team.