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Earlier this month, Australia offered asylum of the five members of Iran’s women’s soccer team who were visiting the country for a tournament when the US and Israel launched a military campaign against the country. However, the remaining team members face uncertainty.
After the team was kicked out of the Women’s Asian Cup, most of the players who initially sought asylum later changed their minds.
On Wednesday, all but two returned to Iran after rejecting an offer of asylum in Australia, according to unconfirmed Iranian media reports.
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A video circulating on social media shows football players entering Iran after the plane landed in Turkey. The athletes were seen traveling across the country by bus shortly after the plane returned to Iran. It is reported that many officials were present at the border when the soccer team arrived.
Members of Iran’s women’s football team board a bus at Igdir Airport to reach Dogubeyazit, Igdir on March 18, 2026. The Iranian women’s football team arrived at Istanbul Airport on March 17, 2026, after several members of the team withdrew their asylum applications in Australia. (Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images)
Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were two members of the Iranian national team who reportedly chose to remain in Australia. Both were training with the Brisbane Roar team.
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The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament just before the start of the war on Feb. 28. The team first gained international attention after some players fell silent during the Iranian national anthem before their first game.
Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team leave the airport in Igdir, waiting to arrive in Dogubeyazit, Igdir on March 18, 2026. The Iranian women’s soccer team arrived at Istanbul Airport on March 17, 2026, after several members of the team withdrew their asylum applications in Australia. (Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images)
When the team was kicked out of the tournament and faced with the prospect of returning to a bombed country, calls grew for the Australian government to offer asylum to the women. Iranian groups in Australia and President Donald Trump are among those who have voiced their response to women’s safety.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref last week dismissed suggestions that women would be unsafe when they return home, saying the country “welcomes its children with open arms and the government guarantees their safety.”
Trump also commented on the Iranian men’s team’s participation in the World Cup, suggesting last week that while the team was “acceptable” to compete in the US after success, it may not be “worthy”.
Iranian players pose for a team photo before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asia zone qualifier football match between Iran and North Korea at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran on June 10, 2025. (ATTA KENARE/AFP)
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“Iran’s soccer team is welcome at the World Cup, but I don’t believe they should be, for their own health and safety,” Trump wrote in a March 12 Truth Social post.
Iran’s men’s team is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, and New Zealand on June 15. It is also scheduled to face Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play with Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The US will host the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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