What happened?
The controversy started with the playing of Iran’s national anthem.
As the song played, several of the team members refused to sing along, which runs contrary to the rules Iran sets for the players. Team members made no statements about why they did not sing their anthem, but hardliners back in Iran immediately branded the players as traitors for their silence both during and after the song.
When the team played next, all players sang the anthem. Sources said they were threatened by Iranian authorities and told they must be seen singing the anthem. In their third game, they not only sang the anthem but also delivered a smart military salute as the song ended.
Trump tells Al Bozo to take them in:
-
Five Iranian female soccer players are being protected by police in Queensland after making a daring escape from their team’s handlers to avoid being sent back to likely persecution in their home country.
News of the escape prompted US President Donald Trump to intervene overnight, first by demanding on social media that Australia give the women asylum, and then by speaking with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Trump Calls on Australia to Give Asylum to Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Members
Trump offers asylum to Iranian women’s soccer team
Iranian Women Soccer Players Safe with Australian Police After Asylum Push from Trump
Five members of Iran’s women’s soccer team are now safely under the protection of the Australian government after President Trump’s strong urging that they be given asylum.
Rita thinks they’re cool:
Albanese govt is happy to welcome ISIS brides but not these women? https://t.co/Rpsz6cAFYo
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) March 8, 2026
The Iranian football team didn’t get to Australia without the support and approval of the regime.
Yes, the women have pushed through barriers to play, but think about what they really represent.
What’s the point of listing the Iranian IRGC as a terrorist organisation if Tony Burke is going to let in it’s members into Australia to watch football? pic.twitter.com/aKU8Qmuoji
— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) February 26, 2026
The speaker in the video clip is Tina Kordrostami, an Iranian-Australian anti-regime activist and councillor for the City of Ryde in New South Wales. She provided testimony as part of the Iranian-Australian community representatives at the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) hearing on February 26, 2026, where she specifically raised concerns about potential IRGC-linked individuals accompanying the Iranian women’s football delegation for the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s ousted shah, praised the five defectors on X.
“As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran,” Pahlavi wrote. “I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.”
Five of the Iranian players appealed to Australian officials and are now safely under the protection of the Australian government.