Five Iranian women's soccer players apply for asylum in Australia after fleeing team as supporters plead for action

Source: CNN via WTOP

Five Iranian women’s soccer players apply for asylum in Australia after fleeing team as supporters plead for action

CNN
March 9, 2026, 3:04 AM


The Iranian players salute the national anthem before the Women's Asian Cup match with the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on March 08 2026.(Matthew Starling/SPP/Sipa USA)

Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Amid fears over their safety, five members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad have sought asylum in Australia and and are currently safe with police, a source told CNN Sports.

Members of the Iranian team, who’ve been playing in the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, are at the center of growing calls for their exit from the country to be blocked for fear of persecution in Iran, their home country that’s at war with the US and Israel under a new hardline supreme leader.

It comes after the team remained silent during the national anthem before their first group stage match last week – a decision that many fear will be punished by the Iranian regime.

According to sports journalist Raha Pourbakhsh, at least seven players left the team hotel with five of those having now applied for asylum with the Australian Federal Police. ... Pourbakhsh, who works for Iran International TV, told CNN that the families of three of those five players who are now safe with police had been threatened and said the whereabouts of at least two other players are unknown after they also left the team hotel.

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Read more: https://wtop.com/world/2026/03/five-iranian-womens-soccer-players-apply-for-asylum-in-australia-after-fleeing-team-as-supporters-plead-for-action/