Members of Iran’s national women’s football team were greeted with a welcome ceremony upon their return to the Islamic Republic after several players sought asylum in Australia.
“First of all, we are so happy to be in Iran because Iran is our homeland,” said midfielder Fatemeh Shaban.
People in the crowd waved flags, while some players held bouquets of flowers and signed mini footballs. Iranian media had reported that the team returned on Wednesday.
“I didn’t expect so many people to come to welcome us, and I am happy to be the daughter of Iran,” Shaban said in translated comments.
Two Iranian players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, chose to stay in Australia and trained with the Brisbane Roar club.
Others who initially sought asylum after the team’s elimination from the Women’s Asian Cup later changed their minds and said they would return to Iran.
The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament shortly before the war started on February 28. The team initially gained worldwide attention after some players remained silent during the Iranian national anthem before their first match in the Asian Cup. The silence was presented by some commentators as an act of defiance or protest and by others as a show of mourning.
The players did not publicly announce their opinions, explain their actions, or sing the national anthem before their next two games.
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref last week rejected suggestions that women would be unsafe if they returned home, saying the country “welcomes its children with open arms and the government guarantees their safety.”
Published on March 20, 2026
