Australia grants asylum to 5 Iranian soccer players amid safety concerns back home

The fate of the 21 members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team remained uncertain Tuesday after five of their teammates were granted asylum in Australia, leaving the rest of the squad to decide whether to return to a country still reeling from war.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament before the start of US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

An official roster lists 26 players, along with coaches and staff. While Australian authorities confirmed that five players were transported by federal police to a safe location overnight to finalize humanitarian visas, other members of the delegation have not publicly indicated whether they will seek similar protections or return to Iran.

While only five players were granted asylum, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the offer had been made to all members of the team.

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Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke poses with five Iranian footballers who have been granted asylum in Australia, Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Australian Department of Home Affairs)

“I don’t want to begin to imagine how difficult this decision is for each of the women, but last night it was joy, it was relief,” Burke told reporters after signing the documents. “People were very excited to start life in Australia.”

“These women are extremely popular in Australia, but we recognize that they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions they are making,” he added. “They will still have the opportunity to speak to Australian officials if they wish.”

The move comes after the team refused to sing the Iranian anthem before its first Women’s Asian Cup match early last week against South Korea – a gesture interpreted by some as protest and others as mourning amid unrest in their country. The team then sang and saluted the anthem in two subsequent matches, including before their final match, when they were eliminated by the Philippines.

After the team was eliminated from the tournament this weekend, they faced returning to a country still under bombing. The team’s head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, said on Sunday that the players “want to return to Iran as soon as possible.”

On Tuesday, outside the team hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast, a brief commotion broke out as protesters gathered near a white bus believed to be transporting players. Some protesters knelt or lay down in front of the vehicle, chanting “Save our daughters” and waving pre-Revolution Iranian flags before the bus left a few minutes later.

All five women granted asylum said they were happy to have their names and photos published, according to Burke, who stressed that the players wanted to make it clear they were not political activists.

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Iranian players during their national anthem before the Women’s Asian 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 football team that they were welcome to come to Australia, to be safe and have a home here,” Burke said on X.

It remains unclear when the remaining players and staff will leave Australia or whether additional asylum applications will be made.

For the majority of the team, the next step carries significant personal challenges: balancing family, national loyalty, and security as conflict continues in their home country.

“Australians have been moved by the plight of these courageous women,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “They are safe here and they should feel at home here.”

“They then had to think about this and do it in a way that posed no danger to themselves or to their families and friends back in Iran,” he continued.

The asylum offer came after US President Donald Trump on Monday called on Australia to grant asylum to any member of the team who wanted it.

Trump had lambasted Australia on social media, saying Australia was “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be “forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed.”

Supporters react to a bus carrying Iranian players after their Women’s Asian Cup soccer match against the Philippines on the Gold Coast, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)

“The United States will accept them if you don’t,” Trump said, despite his administration’s efforts to limit the number of immigrants in the United States who can obtain asylum for political purposes.

Hours later, Trump praised Albanese in another post.

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“He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of and the rest are on their way,” Trump wrote.

Albanese said Trump called him for “a very positive conversation” on the issue. The Prime Minister said he explained “the action we had taken over the previous 48 hours” to support women.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.