Australia grants asylum to two more Iranian female footballers following their exit from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup

Australia on Wednesday granted humanitarian visas to two more members of Iran’s women’s football team, who decided to remain in the country out of fear for their safety if they returned home.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said a player and a support staff member accepted the government’s offer, after five players from the team were granted asylum a day earlier.

“I made them the same offer that I made to the five players the night before,” Burke told reporters.

“If they wanted to receive a humanitarian visa to Australia, which would provide a pathway to a permanent visa, I had the paperwork ready to do that immediately.” Australian officials spoke separately with most members of the team at Sydney airport and were briefed on their options before leaving Australia.

«What we ensured was that there was no rush, there was no pressure. Everything was about ensuring the dignity for those individuals to make a choice,» Burke said at a media briefing in Canberra.

Some discussed their options with family, but they declined the offer to stay in Australia. The team has reached Kuala Lumpur on its way to Iran.

Concerns about the players’ safety increased after Iranian state television branded the team «wartime traitors» for refusing to sing the national anthem during an Asian Cup match in Australia.

The Iranian team’s campaign at the tournament began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, killing the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The team was eliminated from the tournament on Sunday.

Published on March 11, 2026