According to the report, Muhtaj helped lead 80 players and relatives out of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021. Based in Canada and connected to the Afghan national team, she reportedly received an urgent appeal for help as young athletes faced persecution and women were barred from sport.
The first escape plan repeatedly failed. The report says the group eventually travelled by bus towards Mazar-i-Sharif, waited in a safe house and pursued a route across the northern borders before Portugal opened a final window for evacuation.
For Muhtaj, the challenge was not simply arranging transport. It meant keeping vulnerable players connected, using encrypted messages and working with humanitarian contacts while communications were at risk of interception.
The story underlines what national teams can represent beyond results and rankings. For these players, football offered identity, community and a public expression of freedom. When that space disappeared at home, exile became the only way to keep the team’s future alive.
Muhtaj’s role also shows how leadership can extend far beyond the pitch. A captain is usually judged by organisation, courage and influence during matches. In this case, those qualities were tested in circumstances where there was no stadium, fixture or safe training ground.
The report says has since recognised the Afghanistan women’s team, potentially creating a route back into international football for players living in exile. The ambition reportedly extends to the planned 2028 Women’s Club World Cup in Los Angeles.
That target would transform a story of survival into a sporting project. The next question is whether recognition can become a functioning competitive pathway - and whether Afghanistan’s players can finally return to the international stage on their own terms.