Last update on. From the section Football
In 2007, the first Afghan women's football team was established
On Thursday, around 100 female footballers fled Afghanistan for Doha.
According to a source close, Qatar's government collaborated with Fifa, the world's governing body of football, in order to coordinate the rescue effort.
It is believed that the group included 20 national players.
Fifa is working to evacuate more footballers from Afghanistan, which was under Taliban control in August.
Khalida Popal, the former captain of the national team, warned players to delete any photos of themselves on social media and to set their equipment ablaze to avoid possible reprisals by the new regime.
Since the Taliban took over, many of the country's female soccer players have been forced to hide.
Fifa and Fifpro, the players' union, wrote to several governments asking for assistance.
Last month, Afghan junior national team female players crossed into Pakistan. They had been hiding for weeks, fearing that the Taliban would crack down on women's rights.
During the Taliban's final period of power, 1996-2001, women were forbidden from participating in any sport.
