Iranian women’s soccer team refuses to sing national anthem at Asian Cup

Iran’s women’s national football team made quite a statement when they refused to sing their national anthem as it played over loudspeakers at the Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast in the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup on Monday night.

The players were in their usual positions when the Iranian national anthem began playing before the match against South Korea. Staring straight ahead and barely moving, the women maintained their composure, apparently mocked by the crowd. Later, after South Korea’s 3-0 win, applause rose from those in the hall.

Iran’s coach Marziyeh Jafari was also seen smiling as he watched his players’ silence from the sidelines.

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This silence is especially deafening following the US-Israeli strikes over the weekend that confirmed the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since counterattacked by firing missiles and drones at Israel and regional countries that host U.S. allies or military bases, including Bahrain and Qatar.

During questioning by the media on Sunday, Iranian women’s national team captain Zahra Ghanbari was asked about Khamenei’s death along with Jafari. The question was quickly dismissed.

According to ESPN, Jafari responded in Persian but the AFC media representative cut off his response without any translation.

“Okay, I guess that’s it for your question. Thank you for asking. Let’s just focus on the game,” the media representative said before continuing the questioning.

While the content of Jafari’s response is unknown, the team’s stoic nature during the national anthem, which is usually greeted with at least some players singing, suggests it was sufficient.

A massive joint US and Israeli military operation known as “Operation Epic Rage” killed most of Iran’s top leaders, including Khamenei. President Donald Trump warned against any retaliation by Iran on Sunday, saying that if Iran “hits too hard” it would be met with “never-before-seen force.”

The attacks affected the sports world as well as the rest of the country; The football association president has shared a pessimistic outlook on playing in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Iran has already qualified for the tournament and will face New Zealand in Los Angeles in June to kick off their Group G schedule.

The Islamic Republic of Iran kicks off the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between the Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran at the Gold Coast Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia, on March 2, 2026. (Albert Perez/Getty Images)

“What is certain is that we cannot hope for the World Cup after this attack,” football president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday.

“The US regime attacked our homeland and this is an event that will not go unanswered.”

FIFA also stated that it would monitor the situation with Iran.

The Iranian national team will not currently prepare for the World Cup as a 40-day mourning period is in effect following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, the women’s national team was allowed to compete in the Asian Cup.

Elsewhere in the sports world, Fox News Digital has learned that the Israeli national gymnastics team suspended all training and team activities during the counter-offensive, with the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) issuing a statement saying the violence had led to “inevitable disruptions”.

““The current security situation in our region has caused inevitable disruptions in our regular training program and created significant uncertainties regarding the professional plans of the national teams, especially at the beginning of the international season.”

Team Iran poses for a group photo ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match against South Korea on March 2, 2026 in Gold Coast. (Izhar Khan / AFP)

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A team source also told Fox News Digital on Saturday that gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iranian counterattacks began.

Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday when missile bombardment fell on Beit Shemesh, a few kilometers from Jerusalem.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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