Australia Grants Asylum To Five Members Of Iranian Women's Football Team

Last Updated:March 10, 2026, 11:13 IST

Five Iranian women footballers, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, refused to sing the anthem and sought asylum in Australia.

Branded as ‘traitors’ back home after refusing to sing national anthem, five Iranian women footballers have been granted asylum by Australia. Perceived widely as a symbol of defiance, Iranian footballers went silent when the national anthem was played before the start of a tournament in Australia earlier this month.

Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, left the team hotel in Gold Coast under the cover of darkness to claim sanctuary from Australian officials. They were transported by the Australian federal police officers to a safe location.

They met Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke following which the processing of their humanitarian visas was finalised.

“I don’t want to begin to imagine how difficult that decision is for each of the individual women, but certainly last night it was joy, it was relief. People were very excited about embarking on a life in Australia," Burke told reporters.

The Iranian team landed in Australia for the Women’s Asia Cup before the beginning of the Iran war. Burke said the offer of asylum has been extended to all 26 players of the touring squad.

“These women are tremendously popular in Australia, but we realise they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions that they’re making," Burke said. “The opportunity will continue to be there for them to talk to Australian officials if they wish to."

While the players refrained from singing the national anthem before their tournament opener, they did sing and salute prior to the start of their remaining two group matches.

“Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “They’re safe here and they should feel at home here. They then had to consider that and do it in a way that did not present any danger to them or to their families and friends back home in Iran."

Australia’s announcement came after US President Donald Trump on Monday called on Australia to grant asylum to any team member who wanted it. Earlier that day, Trump had criticised Australia on social media, saying the country was “making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the … team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed. The U.S. will take them if you won’t."

With Agencies Input

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