Farkhunda Muhtaj

Farkhunda Muhtaj is an Afghan-Canadian professional footballer captaining the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team and competing in the Dutch Eredevisie for Fortuna Sittard Vrouwen. She is a social activist championing gender equality, anti-racism education, refugee and newcomer support and humanitarian relief through sport and physical wellness initiatives. 

She is the co-founder and director of Scarborough Simbas, a non-profit organization that uses sport to help ease the settlement journey of refugees and newcomers to Canada. 

Farkhunda is a prolific keynote speaker speaking at global conferences on issues relating to sport and social justice and on her experience playing an instrumental role in the evacuation of the Afghanistan Youth National Team in 2021. 

Muhtaj has been featured in many articles and documentaries including the BBC, CBC, AP News, NPR, Al Jazeera, People's Magazine, Elle Magazine and more. 

In 2022, she was recognized as a Top 30 Alumni Under 30 by York University.