How Iran’s women footballers took asylum in Australia and what happens next

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The Iranian women’s football team’s participation in the Asian Cup 2026 in Australia came to an end on Sunday, but the team’s journey at the tournament and in the country continues to create a stir after some of the players chose to seek asylum in the host nation.

The tournament began on March 1, a day after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as about 170 others, including many other military and political leaders and a number of students of an elementary school for girls.

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

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

When the team took the field for their first match of the tournament against South Korea, it was under great mental and emotional strain, with players choking back tears before the game.

The events that transpired between their opening match and their exit from Australia became a major talking point globally.

Here’s what we know so far:

Iran were placed in Group A of the Asian Cup, where they lost all three games and were subsequently eliminated from the tournament.

However, the players were in the spotlight even before the first match kicked off as they stood in silence while the Iranian national anthem played.

Three days later, the script was flipped when Iran played their second game of the tournament against Australia. This time, not only did the players sing the national anthem, but they also saluted it, prompting fears that they may have been forced to change their stance after receiving backlash in Iranian media.

When the Lionesses faced the Philippines in their last game at the Gold Coast Stadium on Sunday, the team repeated the sing-and-salute routine as the anthem played.

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

Others suggested the players may have chosen to remain silent to pay their respects to Khamenei.

Following the first game, a presenter on Iranian state TV, IRIB, labelled the players “traitors” and said they showed a “lack of patriotism” by not singing the national anthem, adding that their actions amounted to the “pinnacle of dishonour”.

“Let me ⁠just say one thing: traitors during wartime ⁠must be dealt with more severely,” Mohammad Reza Shahbaz said in a video circulating widely on social media.

“Anyone who takes a step against the country under war conditions must be dealt with more severely. Like this matter of ⁠our women’s football team not singing the national anthem … these people must be dealt with more ⁠severely.”

These comments prompted the global representative organisation for professional footballers, FIFPRO, to urge FIFA and AFC to “undertake all necessary steps” for the Iranian players’ protection.

Members of the Australian Iranian community also stepped in, pleading with the Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to give refuge to the players.

During Iran’s matches, the Australian government officials did not promise any 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 his government had offered all players and staff members the chance to stay back in the country.

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

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

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

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

The player, who was later identified as Mohadese Zolfigol, changed her decision on the advice of her teammates, Burke told the Australian Parliament.

“She had been advised by her teammates and encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy,” he said.

After Iran’s first game, five players approached Australian authorities with a request to seek asylum, according to Beau Bush, president of FIFPRO Asia Oceania.

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

Australian media reported the team had been accompanied by Iranian government officials who were controlling their movements.

The hotel hosting the Iranian contingent was surrounded by local police at all times and was also frequented by members of the Australian Iranian community, who were pushing for the players’ defection.

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

“Less than half an hour later, two members of the Iranian delegation sprinted across the lobby and down a stairwell leading to the basement car park,” a report in the BBC said.

“A player and coach Marziyeh Jafari followed them. The door at the bottom of the stairs was locked, so the Iranians retreated, looking stressed. The women had gone.”

Minister Burke later confirmed the police presence ensured the players knew they had an opportunity to escape.

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

“Once immigration officials completed the processing of the women’s humanitarian visas around 1:30am ⁠on Tuesday [15:30 GMT, Monday], celebrations broke out among those present,” Burke told reporters, adding, “conversations with the players about seeking asylum had been ongoing for several days.”

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

“Our understanding is that every single member of the squad was interviewed independently with the Australian Federal Police,” Bush said “[The players] were made aware of their rights and the support available to them. They certainly weren’t rushed through that process.”

“They were interviewed independently and provided with support away from any Iranian officials to ensure that there was no pressure put on them,” he added.

Bush, who is also the chief executive of Professional Footballers Australia, believes the players were under “massive pressure” due to the events unfolding in Iran.

“We know that they would be concerned about their families back home, making it an incredibly difficult decision either to remain or to go back,” he said.

Bush explained that “a longstanding history of repression of any dissident voices” in Iran was a cause of concern.

“We know that there have been issues with athletes, [some of whom] have been sentenced to death. So we’re incredibly concerned about the wellbeing of these really brave women, [who have been] called traitors.”

Bush said FIFPRO pushed the Australian government to ensure that the players had a “degree of agency” and were able to understand their rights in a fashion where the accompanying Iranian officials were not able to put pressure on them.

Of the squad that travelled to Australia, 21 remaining players, head coach Jafari and other members of support staff left the country via Sydney on a long journey back home.

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

It is unclear when they will leave Malaysia and where they will travel to, with Turkiye a likely option due to its road links to Iran.

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

“We are making sure that FIFA and the AFC are putting as much pressure as possible on the Iranian authorities, outlining their expectations around safety to make sure they’re not met with any retribution or retaliation,” he said.

“It’s a significant challenge knowing that the air strikes are occurring all across Iran, so we are concerned about the safety of these women.”

Iran’s Prosecutor General’s Office and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei have reassured the players that they will be welcomed back “with open arms”.

Baghaei urged the players to “come home” hours after five of their teammates sought asylum.

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

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

However, Bush said the players’ welfare body is not satisfied with public statements.

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

“We need to witness evidence that they are going to be looked after, that there is no malintent towards them. Our expectation is that FIFA, AFC, and everyone within the international sporting community continue to apply as much pressure to ensure that the Iranian authorities live up to that commitment.”

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

“My phone has been ringing off the hook over the past few days from people within 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 the women would like to come in and train,” he said, referring to the Australian football league.

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