Australia grants asylum to five Iranian women footballers

Players’ union FIFPRO expressed serious concerns for team after criticism of them not singing national anthem before first match.

Australia has agreed to provide visas to five visiting members of Iran’swomen’s football teamwho potentially faced punishment upon theirreturn homefor not singing their national anthem.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told a news conference on Monday that he had told the five members “that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here”.

Burke said the remaining players in the team, which was visiting the country for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Queensland, were in a hotel on the Gold Coast.

He added that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.

His announcement came after United States President Donald Trump, who is currently wagingwar on Iranalongside ally Israel, said that he had spoken to Australian Prime MinisterAnthony Albaneseabout the “delicate situation” faced by the team and that he was “on it!”.

“Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way.

Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return,” said the US president on his Truth Social network.

Trump appeared to be making reference to the five players who had, according to local media reports, “broken free” after the event, held in Queensland’s Gold Coast, and were said to be under the protection of the Australian Federal Police, seeking assistance from the government.

Australia’s SBS News said government sources had confirmed the reports, published late on Monday, adding that Burke had flown to Brisbane to meet with the women.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said five players in Australia for the Asian Cup had secretly left the team hotel with Australian police.

Earlier, the US president had called on Albanese to “give ASYLUM” to the team, which was knocked out of the tournament on Sunday after losing their last group game against the Philippines, warning the leader that he would be making a “terrible humanitarian mistake” if he allowed them to be “forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed”.

The Iranians’ participation in the event started just as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The players’ decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their first match against South Korea was labelled by a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as the “pinnacle of dishonour”.

The team thensang the anthemand saluted before their second match against Australia, sparking fears among human rights campaigners that the women had been coerced by government minders, who had reportedly escorted them everywhere.

Global football players’ union FIFPRO said earlier on Monday that there were serious concerns for the welfare of the team, as they prepared to return home after being labelled “wartime traitors”.

When asked earlier whether Australia would grant the players asylum, Matt Thistlethwaite, the assistant minister for foreign affairs and trade, was cited by news agency Reuters as saying that the government could not “go into individual circumstances for privacy reasons”.

Australia has not yet confirmed which members of the team have been granted asylum.