Iranian Women Footballers Rejoin Team and Fly to Oman Following Australian Asylum Reversal

The Iranian women’s football team is set to depart Malaysia on Monday evening, bringing to a close days of uncertainty after most of the seven squad members who initially sought asylum in Australia reversed their decisions and rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur.

Windsor John, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), confirmed to The Associated Press that the departure had been coordinated by the Iranian embassy.

While the AFC, which has been supporting the team during their stay in Kuala Lumpur, was informed that the squad is flying to Oman, John stressed that this is not their final destination and that he is unaware of their complete travel plans.

Asked whether the confederation was satisfied regarding the players’ safety upon their return to Iran, John said both the AFC and FIFA would continue to maintain regular contact with the Iranian Football Federation, emphasising: “They are our girls as well.”

The team had travelled from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on 10 March following their elimination from the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia. Initially, six players and a member of the support staff remained behind in Australia after accepting protection visas. Since then, four players and the staff member have rejoined the squad in Kuala Lumpur, with the latest arrivals returning on Monday.

No official explanations have been provided for the changes of heart. However, members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia have suggested that pressure from Tehran may have played a role. Concerns for the team’s welfare were heightened by media reports indicating that their families in Iran could face retaliation after the squad chose not to sing the national anthem before their opening match—a gesture widely interpreted as an act of resistance or mourning. The team later sang the anthem at another fixture.

John confirmed that the AFC had received no direct complaints from the players regarding their return. “We couldn’t verify anything. We asked them and they said, ‘No, it’s OK,’” he said. “They are actually in high spirits… they didn’t look afraid.”

Meanwhile, two players remain in Australia. Iranian authorities have framed the women’s reversal on asylum as a symbolic victory over Australia and former US President Donald Trump.

Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the situation as “very complex,” adding: “These are deeply personal decisions, and the government respects those who have chosen to return. We continue to offer support to the two who remain.” The two players still in Australia have been relocated to a secure location and are receiving assistance from both the government and the Iranian diaspora community.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist at Sydney’s Macquarie University who spent over two years in Iranian prisons on espionage charges, suggested that the high-profile nature of the case may have overshadowed the players’ welfare. “The high stakes made the Iranian regime sit up and pay attention and try to force their hand in response, in my view,” Moore-Gilbert said.

She added: “I do think that, had these women quietly sought asylum without the publicity, it’s possible that Iranian officials might have simply allowed it to happen, as has occurred with other Iranian sportspeople who have defected in the past.”

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that the players returning from Australia were “returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland,” portraying the decision as a setback for what it described as an “American-Australian political effort.”

Kambiz Razmara, vice president of the Australian-Iranian Society of Victoria, suggested that the players who initially accepted asylum faced significant pressure from Tehran. “They had to make decisions in the spur of the moment with very little information and react to the circumstances,” Razmara said. “I’m surprised they’ve decided to return, but given the pressures they are under, it is not entirely unexpected.”