Afghanistan, June 3 -- Afghanistan's women's football team will return to international competition this week for the first time in five years, facing the Cook Islands during a training camp in Auckland, according to media reports.
The match will mark the team's first recognized international appearance since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, forcing many female athletes into exile and effectively ending organized women's sports inside the country.
ABC News reported that the game against the Cook Islands, a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, will take place during the team's training camp, although the exact date has not been announced.
The players had previously been excluded from official int...