From Exile to Empowerment: Khalida Popal and Girl Power's Football Revolution

Khalida Popal's eyes shine with passion as she shares her story.

"The whole idea of Girl Power came from my life experiences living as a refugee in different refugee centers in Scandinavia—in Denmark, and across different refugee centers in Norway and Sweden."

In 2007, Popal helped establish the Afghan women's national football team—an achievement that required courage in a country where women have historically struggled for the right to participate in sports. In 2011, she was forced to flee Afghanistan when threats to her safety became too serious under the new regime.

"Living in refugee centers is a very vulnerable time in your life where you lose identity, network, and connections that you had in your home country or community. What helped me overcome the barriers of living as a refugee and asylum seeker in the refugee centers was using the power of sport to connect and build a new community, a new network, a new sisterhood—to overcome those traumas, stress, depression, and the unknown situation."

There is strength in her voice when she speaks about sports. For Popal, football was not just a hobby—it became a tool to manage trauma and build a bridge to a new life. After a turbulent period, she received residency in Denmark, where she founded Girl Power Organization, an International NGO dedicated to empowering women through sports and education, with the goal of creating opportunities, building communities, and connecting people.

The Voice for the Voiceless Sisters

Her expression becomes serious as the conversation turns to the events of 2021. Leading up to the Taliban's takeover, more and more girls were playing football in Afghanistan, but suddenly everything was turned upside down.

"The Afghan women's national team was the voice for the voiceless sisters in Afghanistan. Football was our platform to stand against the ideology that prevented women from participating actively in society, calling the current government of Afghanistan our enemy. Suddenly, the country's situation changed, and the enemies were outside the door."

Popal gestures with her hands as she describes the desperate situation:

"The players were desperately seeking help. Again, football and sports change lives, and in this case, it really saved lives. Through our network, we managed to evacuate over 600 women and girls with their family members—footballers from the national, youth, and development teams—from Afghanistan. They are now refugees living in different countries around the world."

These players are now part of Girl Power, where the focus is on building a network and providing them with new opportunities. Through education and leadership, the organization works on "helping young women to build their self-confidence and also to find pathways in leadership and football to change the narrative for themselves," explains Popal.

The Barriers Popal Herself Experienced

Popal speaks from personal experience. When she came to Scandinavia, she faced many challenges:

"You don't know anybody, you don't have a community, and you don't know the country, culture, and connections. Being so new to a new country and community, you don't know how to actually reach a football club. You don't know how to get yourself to an organization to just have fun sports activities, or answers to questions you have about how to overcome barriers or find role models."

"Those were the challenges for me. I didn't know where to find a club for myself, how the clubs actually worked, who I should call—because there are also barriers with language and lack of role models," she says, before explaining the solution.

"That's what we're trying to do through communication. Storytelling is especially important to us—to spotlight the stories of role models, so a young girl or woman sitting somewhere might think, 'Oh, she's also a refugee. She's also coming from the same background, and she has been through this journey. I want to be like her.' That's what we're trying to do, because I was missing that, and I don't want any girl or woman to miss those opportunities."

Sisterhood as a Foundation

When Popal speaks about unity, she does so with a special sincerity. For Girl Power, solidarity is largely about sisterhood.

"Unity for us is sisterhood—empowering each other, supporting each other, and being there for each other," she explains emphatically. But it extends further: "It's also about taking responsibility for our community and being united regardless of beliefs, skin color, and background."

Through sports, Girl Power works to bring the stories and talents of young women to light—especially women from refugee environments and marginalized communities. At the same time, they aim to change the negative narratives that often dominate the debate about refugees.

"Hopefully, sport can be a tool to unite people," says Popal with conviction in her voice. "With all the challenges around the world and political problems dividing people, it's really time for sport, which has shown the power to bring people together, to once again unite us."

She continues enthusiastically: "Whether we're in technology or at the grassroots level, we need to come together and create a better, more peaceful world where people aren't divided by titles and status in society—where every young person gets the opportunity to play football, enjoy football or sport, and not lose opportunities just because someone is a refugee."

With reference to one of history's great leaders, she emphasizes her message: "As Nelson Mandela said, sport is a powerful tool to change the world. We have seen through wars and throughout history that where divided communities never managed to come together, sport brought people together. They cheered for the same team, celebrated together, and there was a peaceful time."

Popal’s voice becomes more reflective: "Unfortunately, now cultures are changing in football where they have rivalries and they are fighting each other, but that's not the culture of sport. Sport is about peace, so it has the power."

Training Camps Unite Players Across Borders

Girl Power is an active organization with concrete initiatives. Every year, they organize three to four training camps in each country where they operate, plus international camps where selected participants from different countries come together.

"This summer we have a camp in Switzerland," Popal says enthusiastically. Here, players from Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Germany come together, and football unites them. Most are players who previously played in Afghanistan but now live scattered around the world after fleeing the Taliban.

"Football brings them together for reunions where they can play again," she says. "It's a lot about connecting again and talking about our purpose and mission, which is to be the voice and represent the women of the country and gender justice worldwide."

More Than Just Elite Sports

Popal explains that Girl Power doesn't solely focus on creating professional football players. Yes, many of the girls dream of a professional career, but the organization has a broader aim.

"We have collaborations with federations in each country, with football clubs and organizations. Through our extended network, we refer them and create opportunities," she explains. "If someone wants to go into coaching education, for example, we have our leadership program. Through that program, we find the best qualified ones who have the potential to become coaches, and they get into the English FA coaching program. That's how we've created coaching education pathways for these women."

Popal emphasizes the challenges: "We're lacking diversity in football. We're still facing barriers for women in coaching, but when it comes to diversity and marginalized women, it's even more challenging. We want to participate in finding solutions through our organization."

With insight from her own experiences, she sheds light on an often overlooked issue:

"Sometimes, no matter what background you have, you always feel lonely in a new community, especially if you're the only one who looks different. Usually, refugees are sent to very rural areas where they are the only ones looking different. The clubs may never have experienced having a refugee woman or a woman of color in their programs."

Her eyes light up as she says: "That's where our expertise comes in. We try to support and help the clubs understand cultural differences and create safe spaces for these women to feel included. We work as mentors for them," she says and adds:

"We also want to create football clubs, not only for refugee women but bringing together all women who believe in empowering and supporting and creating activism football. There may be women who cannot continue their pathway as elite footballers or sport players, but they still want to be connected to sport and need a sisterhood."

Technology's Role in Uniting Through Sport

Technology and sport go hand in hand in Girl Power's vision of creating communities across borders. Just as sport can unite people regardless of background, technology can build bridges between different parts of the world.

"We're living in a digital world. Everything we do in life is connected with technology—we can't avoid or ignore this. Especially our target group, young people—all they know is their phone and digital access."

For Girl Power, technology is a tool to democratize access to sport and create the unity on which the organization is built. They introduce their community to technology, making it an opportunity rather than another barrier for women who are already facing many challenges.

"At the grassroots level, we want to break those barriers and give them access to analyze and watch their performance," explains Popal. "Because we work with clubs, we want to create videos and use them in two ways: with our coaches, to help them analyze match performance, and for our players."

She elaborates with a practical example: "Usually when I contact football clubs and tell them we have a good player, they ask for a video. It's difficult to just go around with my phone while she's playing, and our players can't afford professional filming. So technology could help us with that."

The Fight for Recognition

Popal’s commitment and fighting spirit are evident when she speaks about her mission: to get the Afghan women's national team's right to play again, to represent the women of Afghanistan.

"I'm leading the campaign to get recognition from FIFA, to get the right for them to play again and represent not the government of Afghanistan but the women of the country—to give these women the voices and platform to continue their performance."

She continues thoughtfully: "Yes, the situation in Afghanistan is very difficult. Football has no hands in that situation, but the football governing bodies can change something. Right now, it's four years that the right to play has been taken away from the women of Afghanistan, and that's what we want FIFA to change—their policy—and allow these women to represent Afghanistan from exile."

There is a glow of optimism in her eyes: "We are very close to that deal. FIFA recently made the commitment to support and they are moving toward the recognition of the national team, which is a fantastic achievement for us as a community, standing together across the world, with all the traumas that all these women are going through. We have been living in exile—myself living in exile for several years—but we have not given up, and football and sport for us has always been home."

In May 2025, FIFA took a historic first step by establishing an Afghan Women's Refugee Team (AWRT), allowing Afghan players to return to the field, though Popal and the players continue to advocate for full official recognition as the Afghanistan Women's National Team.

The contrast to the men's situation is striking: while women are denied access to sports in Afghanistan, men continue to play. The Afghan men's national team plays in Afghanistan and participates in tournaments.

"According to FIFA, the reason why the women's national team can't play is that only the member association can recognize and allow a team to represent Afghanistan," explains Popal. "But in our case, the member association is controlled by a group that doesn't believe women should be active in society."

With a determined voice, she concludes: "That's what we want to change—the rules—because rules are made to protect rights, not to take them away. That's what we want to do, and that will be a global change and shift, not only for the women of Afghanistan but for any team in the future that faces any type of challenge like we have. It will be history."