5 Iranian women’s soccer players granted humanitarian visas by Australian government

The Iranian players salute the national anthem before the Women's Asian Cup match with the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on March 8, 2026. (Matthew Starling/SPP/Sipa USA via CNN Newsource)

BRISBANE, Australia — Five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team competing in the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia have been granted humanitarian visas, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday, confirming he took an early-morning call from U.S. President Donald Trump about the matter.

Supporters had been urging the Australian government to offer the women refuge over fears they’d be persecuted at home in Iran for failing to sing the national anthem before their first match last Monday.

Albanese said officials had been working for some time on the matter, and the women had been moved to a safe location – an offer that had been extended to the remaining players on the team.

“We’re willing to provide assistance to other women in the team, noting that this is a very delicate situation, and it is up to them, but we say to them, if you want our help, help is here, and we will provide that,” Albanese said during Tuesday’s news conference.

Earlier, sports journalist Raha Pourbakhsh told CNN that at least seven players left the team hotel with five of those having now applied for asylum with the Australian Federal Police.

Pourbakhsh, who works for Iran International TV, told CNN that the families of three of those five players who are now safe with police had been threatened and said the whereabouts of at least two other players are unknown after they also left the team hotel.

Pourbakhsh also added that Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, had his visa denied when attempting to travel to Australia to bring the team home with vice president Farideh Shojaei having to travel in his place.

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said Monday that it would be a “terrible humanitarian mistake” if Australia allowed the team to go back to Iran and that the US would grant the Iranian players asylum if Australia did not. It comes after Trump’s administration imposed travel bans for Iranians only last year.

Trump then posted again, writing that he had spoken to Albanese and that five players had “already been taken care of” and that “the rest are on their way.”

Albanese described a “very positive discussion” with Trump during the 2 a.m. Australian time call. “I was able to convey to him the action that we’d undertaken over the previous 48 hours, and that five of the team had asked for assistance and had received it and were safely located,” the Prime Minister said.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref dismissed the situation as “psychological warfare,” accusing Trump of interfering in the “family affairs of the Iranian nation.”

Responding to what he termed a media campaign, Aref insisted the government would guarantee the players’ security. “Iran welcomes its children with open arms,” Aref said, according to state media.

How it all started

Before their first match of the tournament last Monday, the Iranian players stood silent during the national anthem, a gesture they didn’t explain but one that was interpreted by some hardliners inside Iran as a sign of treason.

Sources told CNN Sports they were forced to sing the national anthem ahead of their second match on Thursday, and on Sunday, ahead of their 2-0 defeat to the Philippines, they again sang the anthem and gave a military salute.

After the loss in their final match of the tournament on Sunday, supporters crowded around the team bus, shouting at police to “save our girls” as it pulled away.

Hadi Karimi, a human rights advocate and member of the local Iranian community, said supporters outside the bus could clearly see at least three players inside making the international hand signal for help.

However, a source close to the team expressed scepticism to CNN that the team members would know what the sign represents.

On Monday, Karimi added that there was hope other players would now join the five teammates who are with the police, adding it was “amazing news” that some players had gotten out.

Paul Power, co-CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia, said advocates were not only concerned about the regime’s response to the women’s failure to sing the national anthem but also the “alarming” commentary that came with it.

“When assessing the risk of return, it’s not just how might the government respond, but how others who have the ability to cause harm respond as well,” he said.

Global attention

The women’s plight reached Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s ousted shah, who also joined calls for the Australian government to ensure their safety, warning in a post on X that they’ll face “dire consequences” if they return to Iran.

“As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran,” Pahlavi posted on X. “I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.”

A source close to the team told CNN that some in attendance at Sunday’s match were there for political reasons to lobby support for Pahlavi as a possible future leader of Iran.

World soccer governing body FIFA told CNN Sports on Monday that it was also in close contact with the relevant parties, including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which organized the tournament that Iran played in last week.

“The safety and security of IR Iran’s women’s national team are FIFA’s priority, and we therefore remain in close contact with the AFC and the relevant Australian authorities, including Football Australia, in relation to the team’s situation,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

Defiance then silence

The Iranian women’s team has been contesting the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia during a week of turmoil for their country as the conflict with the US and Israel escalates to take in neighboring countries.

The war has disrupted international travel, and while flying to the Middle East right now is difficult due to airspace closures and the risk of airstrikes, supporters fear the women will be taken to a third country – perhaps China, Russia or Malaysia – before an onward journey to the Middle East.

Craig Foster, a former Australian international and human rights advocate, said “a vast range of organizations” had tried to speak with the women during their time in Australia but had been denied the opportunity.

“No athlete group should ever be effectively held hostage by their own member federation and denied access to external support networks,” he said. He said as the players had been knocked out the competition, the AFC had responsibility for their welfare.

“The first thing that the Australian football community is calling on them is to grant access to the players to safe, culturally appropriate support networks, so that they can privately and confidentially express if they are feeling unsafe and what they would like to see happen,” he said.

CNN has reached out to the AFC and the Iranian Football Federation for comment.

Beau Busch, President of FIFPRO Asia/Oceania, which represents soccer players in the region, told the ABC they hadn’t been able to contact members of the Iranian team.

While that was “incredibly concerning,” he said the group had anticipated problems after the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protesters earlier this year. “Our responsibility right now is to do everything within our power to try and make sure that they’re safe,” he said.

At a post-match press conference on Sunday, Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari said the team was keen to return home. “Personally, I would like to return to my country as soon as possible and be with my compatriots and family,” she said.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had declined to comment on Sunday, when asked if there’d been any contact between Australian officials and the Iranian players.

“We stand in solidarity with the men and women of Iran and particularly Iranian women and girls,” she told national broadcaster, the ABC. “Obviously, this is a regime that we know has brutally cracked down on its people.”

By Hilary Whiteman, Christina Macfarlane, Ben Church and Michael Rios

CNN’s Patrick Sung Cuadrado contributed reporting.