How Iran’s female footballers gained asylum in Australia and what’s next | Football news

Iran’s women’s football team’s participation in the Asian Cup 2026 in Australia ended on Sunday, but the team’s travel to the tournament and in the country continues to create uproar after some players chose to seek asylum in the host nation.

The tournament began on March 1, a day after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and about 170 other military and political leaders, including several students at a girls’ elementary school.

Tehran responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel, several military bases where US forces operate in the Middle East, and infrastructure in the region.

Iran played all its matches – on March 2, 5 and 8 – at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland, Australia.

When the team took the field for the first match of the tournament against South Korea, it was under huge mental and emotional stress, with the players breaking down in tears before the game.

The events that transpired between his opening match and his departure from Australia became the subject of major debate globally.

Here’s what we know so far:

The Iranian team was placed in Group A of the Asian Cup, where they lost all three matches and were subsequently eliminated from the tournament.

However, even before the start of the first match, the players stood in silence during the playing of the Iranian national anthem.

Three days later, the script was flipped when Iran played their second match against Australia. This time the players not only sang the national anthem but also gave a salute to it and after receiving backlash in the Iranian media there are fears that they might have changed their stance by force.

When the Lionesses faced the Philippines in their last match at the Gold Coast Stadium on Sunday, the team repeated the routine of singing and bowing during the playing of the national anthem.

Why did the Iranian players not sing their anthem in the first match, but then changed their stance?

Although neither the players nor team management explained why they stopped singing before the first game, fans and rights activists speculated that it may have been an act of defiance against the Iranian government.

Others have suggested that the players may have chosen to remain silent to pay tribute to Khamenei.

Why is the safety of Iranian players at risk?

After the first match, a commentator on Iranian state TV, IRIB, labeled the players “traitors” and said they had shown a “lack of patriotism” by not singing the national anthem, adding that their actions were “the height of disrespect”.

“I will say one thing: Traitors should be dealt with more harshly during war,” Mohammad Reza Shahbaz said in a video widely circulated on social media.

“Anyone who steps against the country in a war situation should be dealt with more severely. Like our women’s football team not singing the national anthem … these people should be dealt with more severely.”

The comments prompted FIFPRO, the global representative body for professional footballers, to urge FIFA and the AFC to “take all necessary measures” to protect Iranian players.

Members of Australia’s Iranian community also stepped in, appealing to Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to grant asylum to the players.

How did the Australian government respond?

During the matches in Iran, Australian government officials promised no action, but the country’s foreign minister offered sympathy to the players.

However, on the day of the team’s departure from Australia, Burke announced that his government had given all players and staff members the opportunity to stay back in the country.

How many Iranian players took refuge in Australia?

On Tuesday, Burke told reporters that five Iranian players had decided to seek asylum in Australia and that they would be assisted by the government.

“They are welcome to stay in Australia, they are safe here and they should be at home here,” he said.

A day later, Burke confirmed that an additional player and member of the team’s support staff had received humanitarian visas hours before their departure.

However, one player who chose to stay behind, changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.

Burke told the Australian Parliament that the player, later identified as Mohdese Zolfigol, changed her decision on the advice of her teammates.

“Her team members advised and encouraged her to contact the Iranian embassy,” he said.

How did the Iranian players escape from their hotel?

According to Beau Bush, president of FIFPRO Asia Oceania, after the first match in Iran, five players approached Australian authorities with a request for asylum.

“Five players came forward to the authorities and were granted humanitarian visas to stay,” Bush told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

Australian media reported that the team was accompanied by Iranian government officials who controlled their movements.

The hotel hosting the Iranian team was surrounded at all times by local police and was also frequented by members of Australia’s Iranian community, who have been demanding the players’ defection.

According to several reports, the five Iranian players were seen interacting with the diaspora and a hotel security guard before leaving the hotel lobby as police standing outside looked on.

“Half an hour later, two members of the Iranian delegation ran across the lobby and down the staircase leading to the basement car park,” the BBC report said.

“A player and coach, Marzieh Jafari, followed. The door at the bottom of the stairs was locked, so the Iranians retreated, looking tense. The women were gone.”

Minister Burke later confirmed a police presence, knowing the players had a chance to escape.

The players, who managed to escape with the help of Iranian rights activists, were taken to a safe house by Australian police officers, where they met with immigration officials and signed documents.

“Once immigration officials completed processing the women’s humanitarian visas around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday (15:30 GMT, Monday), celebrations erupted among those in attendance,” Burke told reporters, adding that “conversations with the players about seeking asylum have been ongoing for several days.”

FIFPRO’s Bush, who was privy to details of the players’ asylum grants, said one player and one staff member “took a chance” and were granted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia for at least 12 months with a pathway to permanent residency.

“Our understanding is that every member of the team has had an independent interview with the Australian Federal Police,” Bush said.

“He was interviewed independently and provided support from any Iranian authorities to ensure there was no pressure on him,” he said.

Are players under pressure to return to Iran?

Bush, who is also chief executive of Professional Footballers Australia, believes players are under “huge pressure” from the unfolding events in Iran.

“We know they care about their families back home, it’s an incredibly difficult decision to stay or go back,” he said.

Bush described Iran’s “long history of repression of any dissenting voices” as a cause for concern.

“We know there are problems with athletes, (some of whom) have been sentenced to death. So we are incredibly concerned about the well-being of these really brave women, (who are) called traitors.”

Bush said FIFPRO urged the Australian government to ensure players had a “degree of agency” and were able to understand their rights in a fashion that Iranian officials could not pressure them with.

How many players are returning to Iran and where are they now?

Of the team that traveled to Australia, the remaining 21 players, head coach Jaffery and other support staff left the country via Sydney.

Amid the closure of Iranian airspace due to the US-Israeli attack, the players traveled to Malaysia, where they are currently in transit.

It is not clear when they will leave Malaysia and where they will travel, with Turkey being a likely option due to its road links to Iran.

What happens to players returning to Iran?

Bush expressed concern for the safety of returning players and said their safety was FIFPRO’s “top priority”.

“We are making sure that FIFA and AFC are putting as much pressure as possible on the Iranian authorities, explaining their expectations of safety to ensure that they do not face any reprisals or reprisals,” he said.

“It is a significant challenge knowing that airstrikes are taking place across Iran, so we are concerned for the safety of these women.”

Esmail Baghai, a spokesman for Iran’s Prosecutor General’s Office and Foreign Ministry, promised that the players would be welcomed back “with open arms”.

Baghai urged the players to “come home” hours after five of his teammates took shelter.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said the players were invited back to the country “in peace and confidence”.

“These loved ones are invited to return to their homeland in peace and confidence and to convey the concerns of their families.”

But Bush said the player welfare agency was not satisfied with the public statements.

“That’s encouraging to hear, but the context we’re operating in here is that for decades, athletes, players and others have faced persecution for standing up for their basic rights to peaceful protest, freedom of speech.

“We have to testify that they will be looked after, that there is no malice towards them. Our expectation is that FIFA, the AFC and everyone in the international sports community will continue to apply great pressure to ensure that the Iranian authorities live up to that commitment.”

How do six players settle into Australian society?

FIFPRO will look to work with the Australian government, human rights groups and the Iranian community in the country to ensure there is active support for the players.

“Over the last few days my phone has been full of people from the football community, human rights groups, lawyers, refugee advocates (offering) support for these women,” Bush said.

“I’m already fielding calls from A-League clubs, asking if women want to come and coach,” she said, referring to the Australian Football League.

Within hours of Burke confirming that the five players had been granted asylum, the Brisbane-based football club offered them the chance to train at its facilities.