| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1997-11-15)November 15, 1997 (age 28)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Pakistan[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Calgary Wild | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2019 | York Lions | 57 | (5) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 18+ | (0) |
| 2019 | Durham United FA | 13 | (0) |
| 2021 | Vaughan Azzurri | 7 | (0) |
| 2022 | Fatih Vatan | 8 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Fortuna Sittard | 8 | (0) |
| 2025– | Calgary Wild | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2016–2018 | Afghanistan | 6 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 25, 2024 | |||
Farkhunda Muhtaj (Dari:فرخنده محتاج; born November 15, 1997) is an Afghanfootballer who plays as amidfielder forCalgary Wild FC of theNorthern Super League. She was the captain of theAfghanistan national team and a key figure in the evacuation of the Afghanistan girls youth team from the country following the2021 Taliban takeover.
During theAfghan Civil War, Muhtaj's family fled from Afghanistan and sought sanctuary in Pakistan, where they lived without valid papers, and that was where she was born.[2] Her family then moved to theToronto,Ontario suburb ofScarborough in Canada in 2000, when she was two.[3][4]
From 2015 to 2019, she attendedYork University, playing for thewomen's soccer team, serving as team captain in 2018 and 2019.[5][6] She scored her first goal on October 25, 2015, againstAlgoma University.[7] In 2018, she led theOUA with 11 assists.[8] In 2019, she was named an OUA West Division First-team All-Star for the first time as the Lions won the OUA championship.[8][9] In September 2020, she continued with the team as assistant coach.[5][10]
She began playing forVaughan Azzurri inLeague1 Ontario in 2015.[11] She made six league appearances in 2016,[12] eight league appearances in 2017,[13] and four league appearances in 2018.[14]
In 2019, she began playing forDurham United FA making 13 league appearances.[15]
In 2021, she returned to Vaughan Azzurri, making seven league appearances.[16]
In 2021, following her work helping evacuate the Afghanistan youth girls team, she was invited to train with Portuguese clubBenfica[17][18] and also met with Spanish clubBarcelona, as well as speaking to the members of theBarcelona Academy.[10]
On March 3, 2022, she signed withFatih Vatan S.K. of theTurkish Women's Football Super League.[19]
On July 30, 2022, she signed with Dutch clubFortuna Sittard, a new expansion side in thewomen's Eredivisie.[20]
In October 2024, she was announced as the first signing forCalgary Wild FC of theNorthern Super League, ahead of the inaugural 2025 season.[21]
In May 2016, Muhtaj attended an identification camp with theAfghanistan women's national football team.[22] She then subsequently began playing for the team that year,[23][24] eventually becoming team captain in 2018.[25][26] She scored a goal againstIndia on December 27, 2016, at the2016 SAFF Women's Championship.[27] In the summer of 2021, she spoke with theAfghanistan Football Federation about having the team compete in theFIFA Women's World Cup qualification for the first time, however, the2021 Taliban offensive in Afghanistan put an end to that.[28][29]
At the 2023 Unity Euro Cup, Farkhunda served as an ambassador for the Dutch refugee football team and played for the Dutch team.[30][31]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2015 | League1 Ontario | ? | ? | — | — | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| 2016[12] | 6 | 0 | — | — | ? | ? | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2017[13] | 8 | 0 | — | — | ? | ? | 8 | 0 | ||||
| 2018[14] | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ? | ? | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| Durham United FA | 2019[15] | League1 Ontario | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2021[16] | League1 Ontario | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Fatih Vatan S.K. | 2021–22[32] | Turkish Women's Football Super League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Fortuna Sittard | 2022-23[33] | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023-24[33] | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 54 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2016 | 2 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 27 December 2016 | Kanchenjunga Stadium,Siliguri,India |  India | 1–4 | 1–5 | 2016 SAFF Women's Championship |
Following thetakeover of Afghanistan by theTaliban in August 2021, women's rights were severely restricted, including the banning of female sports. Muhtaj, who lived in Canada and was the captain of the Afghanistan women's team, was part of a group that was formed to help a group of 80 people composed of the 26-member Afghan female youth team aged 14 to 16 and their families flee the country.[34][35] TheAfghanistan Football Federation reached out to Muhtaj on August 14, who joined the girls'WhatsApp group to help co-ordinate the departure, serving as the only point of contact for the group.[36][37] The rescue mission, which was called Operation Soccer Balls, was coordinated through an international coalition of former U.S. military and intelligence officials, United States SenatorChris Coons, United States allies, and humanitarian groups, with her connection to the US personnel aided through her relationship with her former mentor and former Iranian player and coachKatayoun Khosrowyar.[38][39] The mission initially suffered multiple setbacks, including several failed rescue attempts and a suicide bombing carried out by Islamic State militants,[38] with the group having to go into hiding after being unable to leave before the August 31 deadline for safe passage out of the country had passed.[40][34] The group landed and was granted asylum in Portugal on September 19.[11] On September 29, she arrived in Portugal to meet the group.[35] She remained in Portugal with the team to help guide them.[41] A second evacuation flight bringing over other players and additional family members arrived in November.[42] In August 2023, WhatsApp released a film entitledWe Are Ayenda onAmazon Prime, documenting the story.[43]
Muhtaj is anOntario Certified Teacher after having graduated fromYork University's Bachelor of Education program.[24][34] She has a National C coaching license.[24]
On the Italian television showCrush - La storia di Tamina, Muhtaj is the idol of the main character of the show (Tamina), a 13-year old Afghan girl who loves to play soccer and has a poster of Muhtaj in her bedroom.[44][45]
In 2020, Muhtaj co-founded the Scarborough Simbas, a program which offers free recreational and wellness opportunities for newcomers, refugees, underprivileged and at-risk Muslim youth, which helps participants to learn to connect with their communities and understand the fabric of Canadian society through sport.[46]
In 2023, she joined theLeague1 Ontario Women’s Football Subcommittee.[47]
During the civil war in the 1990s, they fled to Pakistan. They lived there for a while without valid papers. I was born there. We were allowed into Canada when I was two.