Most of Iranian Women’s Football Team Left Australia After Declining Last-Minute Airport Asylum Offers

Gold Coast: Iran’s women’s football team has left Australia with seven members missing, following tearful protests outside Sydney Airport demanding they leave and a frantic final effort by Australian officials inside the terminal to make the women understand they were being offered asylum.

As the team’s flight time approached and they went through security late Tuesday, each woman stood aside to meet alone with officials, who explained through interpreters that they might choose not to return to Iran.

The other seven women had previously accepted humanitarian visas allowing them to remain in Australia permanently. Eventually, after what Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described as “emotional” meetings, no more women accepted the offer of asylum and the team’s plane departed Sydney with all remaining members.

The tense and precarious nature of their decision was further revealed on Wednesday, when Burke announced that one of the seven remaining men would return home.

Sharing the photos of seven women who were given humanitarian visas on their social media accounts, Burke said, “People can change their minds in Australia.”

Players’ choices over asylum attracted national attention in Australia It was the dramatic end to the episode that has affected Australia since the Iranian team’s first match in the Asian Cup football tournament, remaining silent during the national anthem. Players sang the anthem before subsequent matches and did not publicly express their views or explain their actions.

Their silence was perceived by some as a gesture of defiance or protest, and by others as an act of mourning.

“When these players remained silent at the start of their first match in Australia, that silence was heard as a roar around the world,” Burke said. “We responded by saying the invitation was there. You can be safe in Australia.”

The team arrived in Australia last month, before the Iran war began on February 28. Iran were eliminated from the tournament at the weekend and the team faced the prospect of returning to a country under bombardment.

Iranian Australians and US president appeal for asylum to players While Iranian Australian groups have remained mum on the meaning of the gesture or concerns about returning, the women’s fate attracted international attention as Iran’s theocratic government warned they could face dire consequences for not singing the anthem.

There was further anger in Australia on Wednesday after news outlets published a photo showing a woman being held by the wrist by a teammate and being guided onto an airport bus, with another team member’s hand on her shoulder.

US President Donald Trump waded into the matter on Monday, criticizing the Australian government for not granting asylum to women. The following day, it was revealed that talks between Australian officials and the women were continuing privately.

Meanwhile, an Iranian official rejected claims that it was not safe for women to go home.

“Iran welcomes its children with open arms and the government guarantees their safety,” Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said Tuesday. “No one has the right to interfere in the family affairs of the Iranian nation and play the role of a more caring nanny than a mother,” he added.

Iranian state television said the country’s football federation had asked international football bodies to review what it called Trump’s “direct political interference in football” and warned that such remarks could disrupt the 2026 World Cup.

Australia says it is making every effort to give players options Australian officials have sought to reassure the public that women are being given every opportunity to stay. But the truth was not that simple, as one woman’s decision to return home despite accepting her asylum request showed.

Burke said that after days of offers from authorities, efforts to ensure every team member had a chance to consider offers of asylum came down to last-minute discussions at Sydney Airport, where the women were separated from their caregivers and had time to phone their families before deciding to leave.

“It was all about ensuring the dignity of choice for these individuals,” he said. “We couldn’t take away the pressure on these individuals of the context, what they might have been told beforehand, what pressures they might have felt on other family members.”

But no other members of the team decided to stay in Australia before the flight took off, and Burke said “exhausted” officials feared they were letting the women down.

“What was important as a nation was that we provided the option,” he said.

Media celebrates women accepting asylum The front page of many newspapers on Wednesday featured photos of women accepting offers of asylum with headlines such as “Brave new Australians”. But a few hours later, Burke said one of the women would return to Iran after talks with her departed teammates.

“Unfortunately, in making this decision, he was advised by his teammates and coach to contact and meet with the Iranian embassy,” he said. “As a result, the Iranian embassy now knew where everyone was.”

The minister said the six women remaining in Australia were immediately moved to a different location for safety reasons. He promised that they would not have to fight a legal battle for permanent residence and would receive healthcare, housing and other support in Australia.

Some of the team, who authorities said had links to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, were denied visas.

“There were some people who left Australia who I’m glad are no longer in Australia,” Burke said.

It is unclear exactly how many people were in the delegation, but the official squad list includes 26 players, as well as coaches and other staff. The Asian Football Confederation, which organizes the tournament, confirmed on Wednesday that the team traveled from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they stayed in a hotel.

“The AFC will provide all necessary support to the team until onward travel arrangements are confirmed,” the statement said, adding that the body “will continue to prioritize the welfare and safety of players and officials.”