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Australia granted asylum to five players from the Iranian women’s soccer team who were visiting for a tournament when the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began.
Australian Federal Police officers on Tuesday transported the five women from their hotel in Gold Coast, Australia, to a “safe place” after they made asylum applications to meet with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and to finalize the processing of their humanitarian visas.
“Last night I was able to tell five women from the Iranian women’s soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe and have a home here,” Burke said on X.
The move comes after the team refused to sing the Iranian anthem before their first women’s Asian Cup match early last week against South Korea, although they later sang and saluted the anthem in two subsequent matches, including ahead of their final match when they were eliminated by the Philippines.
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Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke poses with five Iranian female soccer players who have been granted asylum in Australia, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Australian Department of Home Affairs)
“I don’t want to begin to imagine how difficult that decision is for each individual woman, but last night it was certainly joy, it was relief,” Burke told reporters after signing the documents. “People were very excited to start a life in Australia.”
The five women said they were happy for their names and photos to be published, according to Burke, who emphasized that the players wanted to make it clear they were not political activists.
The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament before the war against Iran began on 28 February.
After the team was eliminated from the tournament at the weekend, they faced potentially returning to a country still under bombardment. The team’s head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, said Sunday that the players “want to get back to Iran as soon as we can.”
An official squad list named 26 players, as well as Jafari and other coaches.
While only five players were granted asylum, Burke said the offer was made to everyone on the team.
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Iran players during their national anthem ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)
“These women are hugely popular in Australia but we realize they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions they are making,” Mr Burke said. “The option will continue to be there for them to speak to Australian officials if they wish.”
It is still unclear when the remaining players will leave Australia.
“Australians have been touched by the plight of these brave women,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “They are safe here and they should feel at home here.”
“They then had to consider it and do it in a way that didn’t pose any danger to them or their families and friends back home in Iran,” he continued.
The asylum offer came after US President Donald Trump on Monday called on Australia to grant asylum to any team member who wanted it.
Trump had blasted Australia on social media, saying Australia “made a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be “forced back to Iran where they will most likely be killed.”
Supporters react to a bus carrying Iranian women players after their women’s Asian Cup soccer match against the Philippines on the Gold Coast, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP photo via AP)
“The United States will take them if you don’t want them,” Trump said, despite his administration’s efforts to limit the number of immigrants in the United States who can receive asylum for political purposes.
Just hours later, Trump praised Albanese in another post.
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“He’s on it! Five already taken care of and the rest on the way,” Trump wrote.
Albanese said Trump had called him for “a very positive conversation” on the issue. The prime minister said he was explaining “the action we had taken over the previous 48 hours” to support the women.
