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Australia has agreed to grant visas to five members of Iran’s women’s soccer team and allow them to stay in the country, saying they could be punished on their return if they do not sing the Iranian national anthem before the first match of the Asian Cup tournament.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a press conference on Monday that he told the five members that they were “welcome to Australia, that we are safe here and that they should feel at home.”
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The Ministry of Interior named five members of the team: captain Zahra Gambari, midfielders Fatemeh Pasandide, Zahra Salbari Alisha, Mona Hammoudi and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh.
Mr Burke said the remaining players from the Iranian team, who are in Australia to compete in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Queensland, were in a hotel on the Gold Coast.
He added that he had offered other team members the opportunity to remain in Australia.
The players’ decision to observe a moment of silence during the Iranian national anthem before the match against South Korea was branded “the height of disgrace” by commentators on Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
The announcement of visas for the players came after US President Donald Trump, who along with ally Israel is at war with Iran, spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the “delicate situation” facing the team, with Albanese saying he was “working on it”.
“Five people are already in our care, and the rest are being transported. But some of them feel they have to go home because they’re worried about the safety of their families, because their families will be threatened if they don’t come back,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Earlier, President Trump called on Albanians to “grant asylum” to the team, which was eliminated from the tournament on Sunday after losing its final group game to the Philippines, and warned Australian leaders that they would make a “terrible humanitarian mistake” if they allowed their players to be “deported to Iran and likely to be killed there.”
Albanese told reporters on Tuesday that he had a “very positive” phone conversation with President Trump about Iranian athletes.
“We were able to tell him about our actions over the past 48 hours and that five of our team called for assistance and that they were safely located,” Albanese said.
“Other members of the team will continue to receive support, but of course that is their decision. If they decide to seek support, they will receive support,” he said.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that five players who were in Australia for the Asian Cup secretly left the team hotel together with Australian police.
The Iranian team’s participation in the soccer tournament began just as the United States and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and at least 1,255 others in more than a week of bombings.
Although the team did not sing the national anthem before the first game, they did sing and salute before the second game against Australia, raising concerns among human rights activists that the women were being coerced by government inspectors while in Australia.
International football players’ union FIFPRO announced early on Monday that it had serious concerns for the welfare of the team, who have been labeled “wartime traitors” and are preparing to return home.
Elijah Buor, CEO of the Australian nonprofit Asylum Seeker Centre, said the decision to issue asylum visas was a “compassionate and pragmatic step that recognizes the serious risks many Iranians face if they are forced to return to Iran”.
But Buor added: “This moment should be a beginning, not an end.”
“This must shine a light on the many Iranians already living in our communities and seeking asylum who are in limbo, waiting for certainty and protection,” Buor said.
