Australia offers asylum to 5 Iranian footballers amid security concerns at home

The fate of 21 members of Iran’s women’s soccer team remained unclear on Tuesday after five teammates were granted asylum in Australia, leaving the rest of the team to decide whether to return to the war-torn country.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament before the US-Israeli offensive against Iran began on February 28.

The official roster lists 26 players, as well as coaches and staff. While the Australian authorities confirmed that five players were transported by federal police to a safe place overnight to finalize humanitarian visas, the remaining members of the team did not publicly indicate whether they would seek the same protection or return to Iran.

While only five players were granted asylum, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the request was granted to everyone in the team.

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“I don’t want to begin to imagine how difficult that decision is for each woman, but last night was a joy, a relief,” Burke told reporters after signing the papers. “People were very excited about starting a life in Australia.”

“These women are very popular in Australia, but we recognize that they are in a very difficult position with the decisions they are making,” he added. “The opportunity will continue to be there for them to talk to Australian officials if they wish.”

The move comes after the team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem before their Women’s Asian Cup opener against South Korea earlier last week – a move some interpreted as protest and others interpreted as mourning amid chaos at home. The team later sang and saluted in the next two games, including before their final game, when they were eliminated by the Philippines.

After the team was eliminated from the competition at the weekend, they faced the possibility of returning to a country that is still plagued by relegation. The team’s coach, Marziyeh Jafari, said on Sunday that the players “want to return to Iran as soon as possible.”

Outside the team’s hotel on the Gold Coast in Australia on Tuesday, a commotion erupted as protesters gathered near a white bus believed to be transporting the players. Some protesters knelt or lay down in front of the car, chanting “Save our girls” and waving pre-Revolutionary Iranian flags before the bus drove off minutes later.

The five women who were granted asylum said they were happy for their names and photos to be published, according to Burke, who emphasized that the players want to make it clear that they are not political activists.

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Iranian players during their national anthem before the Asian Women’s Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)

“Last night I was able to tell five women from the Iranian Women’s Soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, be safe and have a home here,” Burke told X.

It is not clear when the remaining players and staff will leave Australia or if further asylum applications will be made.

For most of the group, the next move carries personal priorities – balancing family, national loyalty and security as the conflict rages on in their homeland.

“Australians are touched by the plight of these brave women,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “They are safe here and they must feel at home here.”

“Then they had to think about that and do it in a way that did not harm them or their families and friends back home in Iran,” he continued.

The asylum request came after US President Donald Trump on Monday urged Australia to grant asylum to any member of the group who wants it.

Trump criticized Australia on social media, saying Australia “made a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the group to be “forced back to Iran, where they will be killed.”

Fans react with a bus carrying the Iranian women’s players following their Women’s Asian Cup soccer match against the Philippines in Gold Coast, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Photo via AP)

“America will take them if you don’t want them,” Trump said, despite his administration’s efforts to limit the number of immigrants in the US who can get asylum for political purposes.

A few hours later, Trump praised Albanese in another post.

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“He’s here! Five have been taken care of, and more are on the way,” Trump wrote.

Albanese said Trump called him for a “very good conversation,” about the issue. The prime minister said he explained “the action we have taken in the last 48 hours” to support women.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.