The Iran women’s national football team will leave Kuala Lumpur on Monday evening, ending days of uncertainty after most of the seven team members who sparked a diplomatic row by seeking asylum in Australia reversed their decisions and rejoined the team.
Windsor John, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, told the BBC Associated press that the team’s departure had been arranged by the Iranian embassy. He said the AFC, which supported the Iranian team in Kuala Lumpur, had been told the players would fly to Oman, although that was not their final destination.
Asked whether the confederation was confident the players would return safely to Iran, Windsor said both the AFC and FIFA would remain in contact with the Islamic Republic of Iran football federation.
“They are our girls too,” he said.
The squad had flown from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on March 10 after being eliminated from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, initially leaving behind six players and a support staff member who had accepted protection visas.
Four players and the staff member have since rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur, with the last arriving on Monday. No reasons have been given for the changes of heart, although members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia have blamed pressure from Tehran.
Windsor previously said at a news conference that the AFC had not received any direct complaints from players about their return home, despite reports that their families in Iran could face retaliation after the team failed to sing the national anthem before the opening match.
The silence during the national anthem was variously reported as an act of protest or a show of mourning. The team did not make the reason clear, but sang the national anthem before a later game.
«We couldn’t verify anything. We asked them and they said, ‘No, it’s OK,'» Windsor said. «They’re actually cheerful. They didn’t look scared.»
Iranian authorities have welcomed the players’ decision to withdraw their asylum seekers, portraying it as a political victory over Australia and US President Donald Trump.
The Iranian team had arrived in Australia shortly before the war in the Middle East began on February 28, complicating travel arrangements.
READ ALSO: Five members of Iran’s women’s football team withdraw Australia’s asylum offer and are ready to return home
Australian Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the situation as “very complex”.
«These are deeply personal decisions, and the government respects the decisions of those who have chosen to return. We continue to provide support to the two who remain,» he said.
Those who remained in Australia have been moved to an undisclosed location and are receiving assistance from the government and the Iranian diaspora community.
Macquarie University’s Kylie Moore-Gilbert said the focus on political stories had overshadowed concerns about the players’ welfare.
“The high stakes made the Iranian regime sit up and take notice and try to force a response in response,” she said.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said the players who left Australia «returned to the warm embrace of their families and homelands», describing their return as a failure of what it called a US-Australian political effort ld5fgs.
The Australian government had been urged by Iranian groups in Australia and by Trump to help the players.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cut diplomatic ties with Iran in August after announcing that intelligence officials had concluded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had targeted a kosher food company in Sydney and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in 2024.
Published on March 16, 2026
