An Iranian female footballer has become the fifth to withdraw her asylum claim in Australia, leaving only two players still applying. Activists believe the players may have been pressured by the Iranian government.
On 15 Mar 2026 GMT+7, IRNA, an Iranian government news agency, reported that Ms. Sahra Ganbari, captain of Iran's women's national football team, has withdrawn her asylum application in Australia. She is the fifth team member to do so, out of seven initially. Ganbari will travel from Malaysia back to Iran.
This development follows Australia's confirmation on Saturday that three other female players also withdrew their asylum requests, meaning that of the seven players who accepted Australia's humanitarian visa offer, only two remain in the country.
All seven Iran women's national football team members sought asylum fearing for their safety if they returned home after collectively remaining silent during the national anthem at the Asian Cup opening match on 2 Mar. They were labeled "traitors in wartime" by hardline religious groups in Iran.
Human rights activists stated that the female players may have been pressured to change their minds through threats to their families.
Ms. Shiva Amini, a former Iranian national futsal player now in exile, said she received information that the Iranian Football Federation, in cooperation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has "systematically and heavily pressured the players' families in Iran."
"Many players decided to return to Iran because they could no longer endure the continuous threats against their families," she wrote on the X platform on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Iranian media praised Ganbari's decision. IRNA described her return as "coming back to the embrace of the motherland," while Mehr News Agency called it a "decision made out of patriotism."
However, Australian authorities have not yet commented on her change of decision.
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Source:bbc