The Iranian women’s team sings the national anthem after a counter reaction and leaves the Asian Cup with a loss against the Philippines

Iran’s football team sang and saluted its national anthem ahead of its final Women’s Asian Cup match against the Philippines on Sunday, six days after its decision to remain silent left it branded as «wartime traitors» on state television at home cvvd.

The Iranians, whose plight has become a celebrity among human rights activists in Australia, will no longer play a role in the tournament after a 2-0 defeat to the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland state.

The campaign in Australia began last weekend, just as the US and Israel launched airstrikes on their homeland, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The players refused to sing the national anthem before their loss to South Korea in their tournament opener on March 2, a decision that a commentator for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said showed a lack of patriotism and was the “height of dishonor.”

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The country sang its national anthem and saluted before its second defeat by the host nation on Thursday, sparking fears among Australian human rights activists that it had been coerced by government officials.

A petition launched on the Change.org website on Friday calling on Australia to accommodate the team had collected more than 51,000 signatures by late Sunday.

The petition called on Home Secretary Tony Burke to ensure the team does not leave Australia “while credible fears for their safety remain”.

Burke declined to comment on the petition through a spokesperson. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in televised remarks that she did not want to “comment on the Iranian women’s team.”

“It is clear that this is a regime that we know has brutally acted against its people,” she said.

Players’ union FIFPRO had earlier called on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA to fulfill their human rights obligations and take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the Iranian national team in the aftermath of the broadcast.

Published on March 8, 2026