‘It’s a hopeless situation,’ says footballer Nadia Nadim a year since the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan

The anniversary comes weeks after a landmark period for women’s football: the European Championships Nadim’s long footballing career has included stints at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, where she helped the team win its first league title, breaking Lyon’s 14-year reign of dominance. Off the pitch, she hopes to use the sport as a vehicle to inspire change and is currently participating as a member of Team Century — a partnership between Hyundai and charitable movement Common Goal intended to accelerate football’s climate action plan. Nadim made her 100th appearance for Denmark earlier this year, shortly before taking to the field at Euro 2022. And while Denmark failed to progress past the group stages following defeats against Spain and Germany, she could reflect on the broader success for the women’s game over the course of the tournament. “Usually when you play, the host nation gets a lot of attention and their games are sold out,” says Nadim. “But I think this time even group stages with other teams you had sold out stadiums, which was an amazing experience. “Being a part of that and feeling that vibe that women’s football had created in England, it was pretty amazing; I really hope that this is going to spread out and continue.”