A group of Afghan women refugees are to visit the UK this summer.

An Afghan women’s refugee team will visit England this summer in a bid to gain recognition for an international competition.

More than 20 members of Afghanistan’s national team have been in exile in Australia since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power and banned women from sports in the country.

An Afghanistan Women’s XI played their first competitive match in Melbourne in January 2025 and the team was in India at the same time as the 50-over World Cup late last year.

Now, the migrant team will tour England from June 22, where they will play T20 matches alongside practice opportunities. The players will be present at the T20 World Cup Final in England.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the tour had “significant cultural and sporting significance”.

The ECB currently has no plans to play the England men’s team against Afghanistan in any bilateral tournament.

England’s previous seven matches against Afghanistan have all been in international competitions.

At the beginning of last year, there were calls for England to boycott the match against Afghanistan in the Champions Cup, with more than 200 politicians signing a letter asking the ECB to take a stand.

The event is still ongoing, but the ECB has labeled the situation in Afghanistan “nothing short of gender apartheid.”