For Deutschlandfunk, Germany’s nationwide public radio station, I’ve been covering the journey of Afghan women’s footballers since they fled the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021. I met the team in person during the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and followed up this year as they were officially recognized by FIFA and played their first matches as a national team. My work on this story was nominated for the AIPS Sport Media Awards (Young Reporter category).