Let \( x \) represent the number of games Ahmadullah's team played last season. According to the problem, the team will play 21 games this season, which is 12 games more than one-third of the games they played last season. This can be expressed with the following equation:
\[ 21 = \frac{1}{3}x + 12 \]
To solve for \( x \), we first isolate the term with \( x \):
\[ 21 - 12 = \frac{1}{3}x \]
Simplifying that gives:
\[ 9 = \frac{1}{3}x \]
Next, we multiply both sides by 3 to eliminate the fraction:
\[ 27 = x \]
So, Ahmadullah's team played 27 games last season.
Thus, the correct response is:
27 games