Australia has confirmed that two additional members of the Iranian women’s football delegation have accepted an offer to remain in the country and will be granted humanitarian visas.
The two — a player and a member of the team’s support staff — have now been reunited with five teammates who were previously granted visas to stay in Australia on Tuesday.
The group sought protection after concerns were raised about their safety when members of the team declined to sing Iran’s national anthem ahead of a match against South Korea last week.
Officials said the remaining members of the Iranian squad departed Australia on Tuesday night local time, two days after the team was eliminated from the Asian Cup.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the two who remained behind had been separated from the rest of the squad at their hotel on the Gold Coast after indicating they wished to stay in Australia. They were then taken to a police facility in Brisbane.
The pair is player Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staff member Zahra Soltan Meshkeh Kar.
Burke said all seven individuals granted humanitarian visas would be fast-tracked for permanent residency.
He added that the offer to remain in Australia was reiterated to “most” members of the remaining delegation at Sydney Airport before their scheduled departure on Tuesday night.
According to Burke, a “very significant” police presence at the airport ensured players were separated from their minders while speaking privately with officials through translators, and were given the opportunity to contact family members.
None of the players accepted the offer to remain, he said, although one individual boarded the aircraft “quite late” after discussions with relatives.
“That individual made their own decision,” Burke said – noting that there had been no pressure on them to take the flight.
He added that a small number of people travelling with the team were not invited to remain in Australia — believed to be a reference to Iranian government minders.
“There are some leaving Australia who I am glad are not in Australia,” he said.
The team arrived at Sydney Airport from the Gold Coast, where the Asian Cup tournament is being held, on Tuesday evening. Members of Australia’s Iranian community gathered at the airport to show support and protest against the players being returned to Iran.
Some supporters claimed members of the team had signalled for help.
Burke, quoted by the ABC, said Australian Border Force officials had made “multiple representations to the team” before their departure from Sydney, “including private meetings”.
Local media reported that at least one person initially refused to board the team’s connecting flight to Malaysia, which was part of their journey back to Iran.
However, some players — who were travelling with chaperones — reportedly told reporters they intended to return to Iran.
Australia’s humanitarian visa programme provides permanent protection to refugees and people in urgent humanitarian need, allowing them to live, work and study in the country.
It remains unclear what consequences the players and their families might face in Iran after some members of the team declined to sing the national anthem.
One conservative commentator on Iranian state media accused the players of being “wartime traitors” and called for harsh punishment.
The team did sing the anthem in their final two matches before being eliminated from the tournament on Sunday, leading some critics to believe they had been pressured to do so by government officials accompanying them as part of the delegation.
Earlier on Tuesday, activists temporarily blocked a bus carrying team members as it left their hotel on the Gold Coast. Some protesters carried the Lion and Sun flag, which served as Iran’s national flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Meanwhile, the five players who had already been granted humanitarian visas were moved from the team hotel to a safe location under police protection.
Burke identified them as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi.
Shortly after they left, the BBC witnessed several of their minders running across the hotel in an apparent attempt to locate them.
“They want to be clear they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,” Burke said, adding that discussions with the players had been ongoing for several days.
Addressing the rest of the team before they departed Australia, he said: “The same opportunity is there. Australia has taken the Iranian women’s soccer team into our hearts. These women are tremendously popular in Australia.”
“Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference on Tuesday.
“They’re safe here, and they should feel at home here.”
The situation has also drawn the attention of US President Donald Trump, who used his Truth Social platform to call for action.
He said Australia should “give asylum” to the players or “the US will take them if you won’t”.
About an hour later, Trump posted again saying he had spoken with Albanese, writing: “five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way”.
The Trump administration suspended asylum decisions late last year and has stopped issuing immigrant visas for citizens of dozens of countries, including Iran, stating it intends to bring “an end to the abuse” of the system.
Last year, two groups of Iranian nationals — including people whose asylum claims had failed — were deported from the United States back to Iran. Reports said the groups included members of the LGBT community, who face severe legal and social consequences in Iran.
