Seven members of the Iranian soccer team applied for asylum, but it is now known that four have withdrawn their applications.
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Published March 14, 2026
Two further Iranian female soccer players and one of their support staff have reportedly withdrawn their asylum applications to Australia over fears they will be punished upon their return after their team refused to sing the Iranian national anthem at the Asian Cup.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday that the three had given up seeking asylum in Australia and are now heading to Malaysia, and posted a photo of a woman who was said to have boarded the plane.
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The news was confirmed in a statement from Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Sunday morning.
“Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team made the decision to join the rest of the team and return to Iran,” Burke said.
“After informing the Australian authorities of this decision, the players were given a number of opportunities to discuss their options.”
When the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on February 28, the Iranian national team was in Australia to take part in a soccer tournament at Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland.
The first attack killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other leaders.
In all, an estimated 1,444 Iranians have been killed since the war began, including more than 170 inside an elementary school in the city of Minab, most of them girls.
Players of the Iranian women’s soccer team who refused to sing the Iranian national anthem during their first match were branded “traitors” by an IRIB host.
In a viral comment, the presenter said the players’ actions were “the height of disgrace” and should be “dealt with more severely”.
The comments prompted FIFA and the AFC to “take all necessary measures” to protect Iranian players, amid growing concerns about the safety of players after Australian media reported they were being monitored by Iranian government officials.
Five players, including captain Zahra Gambari, escaped from the team hotel under cover of darkness and applied for asylum in Australia. A sixth player and support staff applied for asylum before the rest of the squad left Sydney earlier this week.
However, one of the players withdrew his request earlier this week and contacted the rest of the team, who are believed to be still in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur waiting to return to Iran.
Burke told MPs that the player, later identified as Mohadese Zolfigor, had changed his decision on the advice of teammates and was “urged to contact the Iranian embassy”.
Iran’s governing body for soccer has accused Australia of kidnapping players and forcing them to leave their home country against their will.
