Afghanistan girls soccer team given asylum in Portugal

In this photo provided to The Associated Press, members of the Afghanistan national girls soccer team are seen on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Lisbon, Portugal. Late Sunday night, almost three weeks after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the girls and their families landed in Lisbon after an international coalition came to their rescue. (AP Photo)

For weeks, the Afghanistan national girls soccer team had been waiting for word they could leave the country.

On Sunday, the message finally came.

The girls and their families boarded a charter flight from Afghanistan to Portugal, which has granted them asylum.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the girls, ages 14-16, and their families had been trying to leave.

They feared what their lives might become like under the Taliban, who forbid women and girls from playing sports.

All of the girls say they hope to one day become professional soccer players as adults.

.Page-below > .RichTextModule {display:none;} .Page-below .Link {font-size: 12px; padding: 5px 10px;border: 1px solid #005687;border-radius: 4px;font-family: “proxima-nova”, sans-serif; }