Khalida Popal: Football, Freedom and Fearless Activism
Series 19 Ep 5
When the world forgets Afghanistan, we keep speaking. We are the voices of the women who can no longer be heard.”
What would you risk for the right to play sport? For Khalida Popal, the answer is everything.
This powerful episode of The Game Changers tells the extraordinary story of a woman who defied the Taliban, challenged a corrupt sporting system and used football to fight for the lives and freedoms of women and girls across the world.
Khalida Popal was just a child when her family fled Taliban rule in Afghanistan. In the harsh reality of a refugee camp, she discovered football – a game that gave her joy, freedom, and purpose. Returning to Afghanistan as a teenager, she dared to play in public, formed the country’s first women’s national team and proudly captained her side in the face of threats, abuse and constant danger.
But her leadership didn’t stop on the pitch. Khalida spoke out about the abuse of female players by senior figures in Afghan football and uncovered horrific corruption at the highest levels. It was these actions that meant she was eventually forced to flee for her life.
Now living in Denmark, Khalida continues her relentless activism through the Girl Power Organisation, while leading a global campaign to get FIFA to recognise Afghan women footballers in exile – players stripped of their national identity simply because they are women.
In this gripping and deeply moving conversation, Khalida shares how she helped evacuate over 600 women and girls from Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, what it means to lose your identity as a refugee, and why she refuses to stay silent – even when her own life is at risk.
Raw, emotional and deeply inspiring, this is not just a story about sport. It’s about power, oppression, survival and hope. Khalida Popal is a true game changer.
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.
Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers
Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media
A Fearless Women production