Five Iranian footballers granted visas after daring hotel escape

Five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team were granted humanitarian visas* in Australia after attempting a daring escape from their hotel room, following the team’s elimination from the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the five players chanted “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” when told they could stay in Australia, amid the escalating conflict in their home country.

The Iranian women’s national football team captain Zahra Ghanbari, along with Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi, made a dramatic escape from their minders* on Monday night, before being taken to a safe place by the Australian Federal Police.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the same offer was on the table for the rest of the squad still on the Gold Coast.

“A lot of work has been going on in recent days to ensure we had the maximum number of opportunities for these women to know they could seek assistance if they wanted to,’’ Mr Burke said.

Mr Burke confirmed the five women said they were happy for their names and faces to be reported. He said they were not activists*, but athletes who simply wanted to be safe.

Mr Burke revealed he had been on the ground in Queensland to speak to the women since Sunday night.

“During the course of yesterday, it was made clear there were five women who wanted to stay in Australia,” he said.

WHY IRAN’S SOCCER TEAM IS UNDER THREAT
It’s not just the threat of war the female soccer players would face upon returning home.

The Iranian women’s national football team, nicknamed the Lionesses, made news across the world when they did not sing the national anthem ahead of their opening match against South Korea.

The decision was seen as a silent protest against Iran’s Islamic Republic regime. There have been reports that the women’s phones were being tapped and their families were under threat if the players sought asylum* in Australia.

Iranian-Australian human rights activist Tina Kordostrami told news.com.au that FIFA, the sport’s governing body, had a clear mandate* to act.

“The players have visas until the end of March,’’ she said. “The regime* is clearly controlling these girls. FIFA has a responsibility here.”

It is understood the Lionesses were told the plan was to fly them to Turkey before sending them back into Iran on buses, despite ongoing strikes in the capital Tehran. Concerns for the young women quickly grew after state-controlled Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting broadcast a clip calling the women “traitors”.

Under the Islamic Republic’s laws, treason* can lead to lengthy prison sentences or the death penalty. The team has already lost one national player, Zahra Azadpour, 27, who was killed by Islamic Republic forces in January while protesting in Karaj, in north central Iran.

Iran International TV sports journalist Raha Pourbakhsh said the women were under duress* from the regime while travelling in Australia.

“They have threatened them with their careers being ended and also jail time,” Pourbakhsh told The Sports Ambassador podcast. “Their phones have been tapped, they forced the players into signing hefty bail agreements assuring the authorities they would not become refugees in Australia.”

Refugees advocate and former Socceroo Craig Foster said any persecution of Iranian players competing in a FIFA-regulated environment must result in immediate suspension of Iran from FIFA membership.

Just 24 hours earlier, around 50 Australian protesters chanting “save our girls” surrounded the players’ bus as it left the Gold Coast stadium on Sunday night. Protesters’ video captured the moment a woman inside the bus appeared to make the international sign of “help” through the window.

The good news for Iran’s five players comes after the Matildas had a major blow on their road to Asian Cup glory after being beaten to the top of Group A by South Korea on Sunday.

The game at Sydney’s Olympic stadium ended in a 3-3 draw, meaning the Tillies will next need to face off against either North Korea or China in a knockout game in Perth.

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GLOSSARY

• humanitarian visas: a permanent visa that allows someone to live in another country because they face persecution, human rights abuse or conflict in their homeland
• minders: a supervisor or security guard
• shah: meaning “king” in Persian, it was a title given to the monarchs of Iran, which used to be called Persian, for thousands of years. The last monarch in Iran was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the 1979 revolution before the Islamic Republic took power
• activists: people who campaign for political or social change through demonstrations and lobbying to people in power
• asylum: the legal, safe protection granted by a nation to someone fleeing their home country because of war or persecution
• mandate: law, requirement
• regime: a form of government, usually used when describing a dictatorial government
• treason: the crime of betraying one’s country
• duress: using threats and/or violence to make someone do something that is against their will or against their better Judgement

EXTRA READING
Matildas beat Iran but trail in goals
Trump tees off to topple Tehran
Why petrol prices are soaring

QUICK QUIZ
1. How many Iranian soccer players were granted humanitarian visas?
2. What dangers are Iranian soccer players facing upon returning home?
3. In what ways are they being held under duress while visiting Australia?
4. What form of protest were the players interpreted as performing while visiting Australia?
5. What was the Matildas’ final score against South Korea on Sunday?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Threats and opportunities
What threats and dangers do these Iranian players face if they return to Iran after the tournament?

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What makes these players a target?

What new opportunities might emerge for these women after being granted humanitarian visas in Australia?

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Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Write a letter or card to welcome these ladies to life in Australia and wish them well as they make a life here.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Humanities, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Summarise the article
A summary can be a really good way to grab the main idea plus some key points in the article as a highlight. Think of the summary like a little advertisement or extract you could use to encourage people to read the article in detail. You want to give them an overview of the article that includes the main idea (being able to tell the audience what the article is about in one sentence), plus a few of the key points of the information.

Remember to re-read your summary to check that it is clear, concise and makes sense to the audience who haven’t read the article yet. You need to make language choices that allow you to explain the information in only a few sentences.