Khalida Popal Named Among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports

Photo: © Jennifer Gauthier / Reuters

TIME magazine has included Khalida Popal, former captain of Afghanistan’s women’s national football team, in its list of the 100 most influential people in sports for 2026.

The list, titled TIME100 Sports 2026, was published on Tuesday (9 June). TIME described Popal as one of the leading figures in Afghan women’s football and a prominent advocate for the participation of Afghan women in sport.

The magazine noted that Popal was among the founders of Afghanistan’s first women’s national football team in 2007. She served as the team’s captain and also campaigned to encourage girls to participate in sports and football.

According to TIME, women’s sport in Afghanistan collapsed following the Taliban’s return to power. Many female athletes, including Popal, were forced to leave the country.

TIME reported that Popal now lives in Denmark and plays a leading role in organising Afghan Women United, a team made up of Afghan refugee women living in different countries around the world.

According to the report, Popal has also campaigned for FIFA’s recognition of the team. The team was officially recognised by FIFA in April and can now compete in international tournaments, including qualification events for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Khalida Popal has become one of the most recognised Afghan voices in global sport and women’s rights advocacy in recent years. Since the Taliban’s return to power, she has continued to campaign for the protection of Afghan women footballers and their continued participation in the sport.

This comes as the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s participation in sport, education, employment and public life since returning to power in 2021. The exclusion of women from sport in Afghanistan has led many Afghan female athletes to continue their careers and advocacy efforts from exile.