Iran says women’s football captain withdraws Australia asylum bid

The skipper of the Iranian women’s shot squad which played successful the Asian Cup successful Australia has withdrawn her bid for asylum, authorities media said Sunday (March 15, 2026), making her the 5th subordinate of the delegation to alteration her mind.

A erstwhile subordinate and a Persian-language TV transmission based extracurricular Iran said the players had been pressured to reverse their stance done threats against families backmost home. But Iranian authorities person successful crook accused Australia of pressuring the players to stay.

Also read: West Asia warfare updates connected March 15, 2026

Captain Zahra Ghanbari, a striker and the nationalist team’s apical goalscorer, has withdrawn her asylum exertion and volition present caput from Australia to Malaysia and from determination alert backmost to Iran, the state-run IRNA quality bureau said.

Three players and 1 backroom unit subordinate had already, successful erstwhile days, withdrawn their bids for asylum and travelled to Malaysia.

Seven members of Iran’s visiting shot delegation competing successful the Women’s Asian Cup had sought sanctuary successful Australia aft they were branded “traitors” astatine location for refusing to sing the nationalist anthem.

The shot play has unfolded against a backdrop of warfare successful West Asia unleashed by U.S.-Israeli aerial strikes connected Iran, which besides followed protests against the clerical strategy that peaked successful January.

Following the captain’s reported determination to spell backmost connected her asylum request, lone 2 of them are present acceptable to stay successful Australia. The players returning to Iran were astatine a edifice successful the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, awaiting their onwards travel.

There was nary contiguous remark from Australian authorities connected Ghanbari’s situation.

Last week 1 subordinate had changed her mind, followed by 2 players and the 1 unit subordinate who near Australia connected Saturday.

Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said successful a connection that time that “three members of the Iranian Women’s Football Team made the determination to articulation the remainder of the squad connected their travel backmost to Iran”.

He said that aft informing Australian officials of their decision, “the players were fixed repeated chances to speech astir their options,” helium said.

The Australian authorities gave squad members the accidental to question refuge but players faced “incredibly hard decisions”, the Minister said.