Khalida Popal, the former captain of Afghanistan’s women’s national football team, arrived in Mexico City in 2021 after the Taliban’s return to power forced her and many of her teammates into exile. Since then she has partnered with local NGOs to run football clinics for refugee children and other marginalized groups, using the sport as a conduit for empowerment.
A Platform Beyond the Pitch
Popal sees the World Cup not merely as a tournament but as a stage to demand a lasting social legacy. She points to Mexico’s first female referee, Katia Garcia, who recently officiated a men’s World Cup match, as a visible example that inspires girls to claim their place on the field and in society.
Mexico’s advances in women’s football stand in stark contrast to the systematic exclusion women face in Afghanistan, where education, employment and sport have been banned. Yet the country still grapples with high rates of gender‑based violence, with more than 70,000 asylum requests filed last year.
Activism and the Risk of Commercialization
For Popal, sport and social issues are inseparable. She rejects the notion that football should be insulated from activism, insisting that the game belongs to everyone, especially those on the margins. She warns that the growing commercial focus of the tournament could eclipse the grassroots missions that give the sport its transformative power.
Through her organization, Girl Power, Popal brings the ball to shelters and community centers, collaborating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to safeguard the authenticity of football as a tool for resilience. She cautions that without sustained support, vulnerable communities remain trapped in cycles of exclusion and violence.