Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland.
Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic.
They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea.
Photo: AP
The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.”
“The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and security of all players, coaches, officials and fans,” it added. “In this regard, we are in close and regular contact with the Iran women’s national team and officials on the Gold Coast and are offering our full support and assistance.”
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari yesterday held a pre-match news conference, but stuck to soccer, saying the tournament was a chance to show “the potential of Iranian women.”
“After the league season in Iran, we came together for three training camps, before coming to Australia where we have had a few fruitful sessions, so I hope tomorrow we can show you a good match,” she said.
The 12-team tournament, which started yesterday, would be one the biggest ever for many Iranian players.
They made a historic debut at the previous Asian Cup in India in 2022, suffering heavy defeats against Taiwan and China, but it made them national heroes in a country where women’s rights are severely restricted.
“In India in 2022, the group was a little easier. Now in 2026 we enter with more experience but the group is more tough,” Jafari said of a group that also includes hosts Australia and the Philippines. “But we [still] want to show in these games the potential of Iranian women.”
Iran showed grit to come through a challenging qualifying campaign for Australia that culminated with a win against favorites Jordan to seal back-to-back appearance.
Skipper Zahra Ghanbari said she was dreaming big.
“I believe this tournament is great with great teams, but we really want to qualify for the World Cup,” the 33-year-old said. “We know these will be tough games, but we have a tough mentality and we want to do our best.”
Taiwan are to play their opening match in Group C against Japan on Wednesday.
The top six finishers would qualify for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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