By day, Sodaba Khinjani might help clean your teeth at the dentist's office. Rabia Yaqobi might make your next meal. But after their work days, the Afghan refugees can be found on the pitch—forging their own path on the soccer pitch as part of theHouston Shine FC.
Khinjani and Yaqobi are some of the women who fled Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrew in 2021 and the Taliban made women's sports illegal.
"Everybody that was in sport, was in kill list of Taliban," Khinjani said. At 14, she was selected to join the Afghan women's national team, but was forced to practice in secret.
"It was really hard, because I already lost my brother, the Taliban killed him, and they sent his dead body," Khinjani said.
While FIFA was able to provide visas for female athletes to escape, it meant they had to leave their families behind. Khinjani hasn't seen hers in four years.
Rachel Fabre, who coaches the Shine, said she is awed at the players' perseverance.
"The sheer magnitude, the trauma that they have been through to just get to this point here is massive," Fabre said.
Most of the women send the money they earn from their jobs back home to their families.
"Sometimes I'm not eating, save money, send it [to] my mom because my mom needs it," Yaqobi explained.
FIFA announced in May that it was creating an Afghanistan women's refugee team made up of players resettled in other countries, allowing them to compete in the 2027 Women's FIFA World Cup.
But in September, FIFA told American-based players that they can't attend the international training camps where players are vetted for the official team. The world soccer organization says it's because of immigration and safety concerns, even though all Shine players have green cards.
"When it comes to players who are not selected for the inaugural squad, FIFA remains committed to providing opportunities to all players eligible for the Afghan Women United," FIFA said in a statement.
Khinjani said she refuses to give up hope.
"I will fight with FIFA. I will fight with Taliban. I will fight about my rights," she said.
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