FILE - Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women's Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP,File)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥 A fifth member of the Iranian women鈥檚 soccer team who accepted a refugee visa to stay in Australia has left the country, the Australian government said on Monday.
The player's departure shortly before midnight on Sunday leaves two of an initial seven squad members in Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke鈥檚 office said.
Burke reported on Sunday that two players and a team support staff member had left Sydney for Malaysia on Saturday.
Iran鈥檚 team arrived in Australia for the Women鈥檚 Asian Cup last month, before the in the Middle East began on Feb. 28.
Initially, six players and a support staff member from a squad list of 26 players accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia before the rest of the flew from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on March 10.
Another later changed her mind and left Australia.
The rest of the team has remained in Kuala Lumpur since they left Australia.
Iran鈥檚 Tasnim News Agency said the three left Australia on Saturday and that they were 鈥渞eturning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland.鈥
Concerns about the team鈥檚 safety in Iran heightened when the players didn鈥檛 sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.
The Australian government was urged to help the women by Iranian groups in Australia and by U.S. President .
The Iranian news agency described the women鈥檚 return to the team as the 鈥渄isgraceful failure of the American-Australian project and another failure for Trump.鈥
Some members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia have accused the support staffer who initially accepted asylum then left Australia on Saturday of spreading Iranian government propaganda to her teammates via text messages.
Australian-Iranian Society of Victoria vice-president Kambiz Razmara said the women who accepted asylum had been under pressure from the Tehran regime.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e had to make decisions at the spur of the moment with very little information and they鈥檝e had to react to the circumstance,鈥 Razmara told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
鈥淚鈥檓 surprised that they鈥檝e decided to go, but I鈥檓 actually not surprised because I appreciate the pressures that they鈥檙e experiencing,鈥 he added.
The Associated Press
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