WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Women’s World Cup final eight is wide open, as sport sees a changing of the guard
Few could have predicted the eight teams still standing when the Women’s World Cup kicked off three weeks – and more surprisingly, the teams who are gone.
In the most wide open World Cup in history, Colombia and France were the last two teams to clinch quarter-final berths Tuesday evening, joining Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Australia and England to close the curtain on a breathtaking first two rounds full of delicious twists and turns.
When the tournament was expanded to 32 teams, there was apprehension around whether lower-ranked sides could compete at this level. But the exact opposite happened. Concerns about blowouts were blown out of the water in a changing of the guard.
Japan are the only previous World Cup champions remaining, having climbed the winners’ podium in 2011.
Gone are four-times champions United States, who were gunning to become the first team to win three in a row, but were sent spinning out of the tournament before the semi-finals for the first time in history.
Also gone: Two-time champions Germany, 1995 winners Norway, reigning Olympic champions Canada, and Brazil, who had not been ousted in the group stage since 1995.
“Nothing is easy in this tournament,” coach Sarina Wiegman said after England survived a last-16 scare from Nigeria before winning in a shootout.
“That’s very exciting because we see the women’s game has improved so much. You saw in the group stage, many games were equal, and it’s not that the expected teams have won all the time.”
In an end of an era, the elimination of the U.S., Canada and Brazil marked inauspicious World Cup finales for some of the game’s biggest trailblazers in Megan Rapinoe, Christine Sinclair and Marta.
Others such as Colombia’s dazzling teenager Linda Caicedo, Spain’s integral midfield cog Aitana Bonmati and France’s consistently excellent striker Kadidiatou Diani have stepped into the spotlight.
Who will win now is anybody’s guess.
Japan’s “Nadeshiko” – named for a pink flower that symbolises Japanese beauty – are on a mission to erase the memory of their last-16 exit four years ago, and are tournament favourites after trouncing Norway 3-1 in the last-16.
They will test their credentials Friday against Sweden, who dumped the U.S. out of the tournament on a decisive penalty shot measured in millimetres.
Spain’s La Roja have already made history with their quarter-final appearance in three tries. They bounced back from an ugly 4-0 loss to Japan to dispatch Switzerland 5-1 in the last 16.
La Roja are in quarter-final action Friday against the Netherlands, who went undefeated in the group stage of their ninth World Cup appearance, including a 7-0 win over Vietnam in the tournament’s most lopsided score.
Australia’s Matildas have enjoyed a terrific run to the quarters despite missing the team’s leading scorer Sam Kerr. She was a 78th-minute substitute in the host team’s 2-0 last-16 win over Denmark and will surely start Kerr in what should be a thrilling quarter-final against France on Saturday.
Les Bleues are keen to bury their heartbreaking last-eight elimination four years ago in France, and coach Herve Renard said the pressure as hosts could weigh heavily on Australia.
“We’re hoping to put Australia through exactly what France went through when they were the host country in 2019,” Renard said after Les Bleues’ 4-0 win over Morocco on Tuesday.
Fourth-ranked England, who are unbeaten in 36 of their last 37 games, would seem the favourite on Saturday against Columbia, the lowest-ranked team in the final eight at 25, but the Lionesses staggered into the quarters, fortunate to stave off a terrific Nigeria team through 120 minutes to win in a shootout.
The Lionesses have more big-game experience as reigning European champions, but Colombia have enjoyed better fan support than any team except Australia. England will also be without top scorer Lauren James, who received a red card for a stamp to the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie.
-Reuters
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Iranian women’s soccer squad member changes mind on Australia asylum offer, to return home
Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer delegation slip their minders to claim asylum, but one has changed her mind and decided to go back to Iran, the country’s interior minister said on Wednesday.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced in parliament the squad member’s decision to return home, after five players from the team were granted asylum a day earlier.
A player and a support staff member accepted the government’s open offer of aid on Tuesday evening.
“One of the two who had made the decision to stay last night had spoken to some of the teammates who had left, and had changed her mind,” Burke told parliament.
“In Australia, people are able to change their mind, people are able to travel. And so, we respect the context in which she has made that decision.”
It was not immediately clear who had decided to return to Iran.
Burke said the rest of the players have been moved to a safe location after the member contacted the Iranian embassy, giving away their location
Concerns about the players’ safety grew after Iranian state television labelled the team “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing the national anthem during the women’s Asian Cup match in Australia earlier this month.
The two additional members of the delegation – 21-year-old striker Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staffer Zahra Soltan Moshkehkar – were removed from the rest of the team with the aid of Australian Federal Police before they boarded a domestic flight to Sydney.
Before leaving the country, Australian officials separated the remaining team from their Iranian minders at Sydney airport and informed them of their options before they flew out of Australia. All those that made it to the airport elected to return to Iran.
“What we made sure of was that there was no rushing, there was no pressure. Everything was about ensuring the dignity for those individuals to make a choice,” Burke said during a media briefing in Canberra.
FEAR FOR FAMILIES
Burke said some players had asked him about the possibility of aiding their family members leave Iran.
“Obviously, when people are permanent residents, there are rights that they have in terms of sponsoring other family members. But all of it only becomes relevant if people can get out of Iran in the first place,” he said.
Some discussed their options with family but declined the offer to remain in Australia. The team has since reached Kuala Lumpur on their way to Iran.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the tournament started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament on Sunday.
A group of Iranians living in Australia gathered to protest against the Iranian government and surrounded the players’ bus in Gold Coast when they left the hotel for the airport.
Many also turned up at the Sydney airport on Tuesday evening while they were being transferred to the international terminal, television footage showed.
The office of Iran’s general prosecutor said on Tuesday the remaining members of the team were invited back to the country “with peace and confidence,” Iranian media reported.
-Reuters
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- * Five players sought asylum after being called ‘wartime traitors’
- * Australian Federal Police moved players to a safe location
- *Asylum offer remains open for other squad members
Australian police extracted five Iranian women soccer players from the team’s hotel before they were granted asylum, the interior minister said on Tuesday, as details of their escape from Iranian government minders emerged.
The five players, including team captain Zahra Ghanbari, sought protection after the team were branded “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing their national anthem before an Asian Cup match.
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen attend a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, March 10, 2026. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas/via REUTERS
The team’s Asian Cup campaign began as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran and Australian media reported the team had been accompanied by Iranian government officials who were controlling their movements.
Conversations with the players about seeking asylum had been ongoing for several days, Interior Minister Tony Burke told a press conference as he confirmed the women had been granted asylum in Australia.
The players granted asylum were Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, Mona Hamoudi and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh – all in their early 30s – as well as 21-year-old Fatemeh Pasandideh.
MOVED TO SAFETY
The five players were moved to a safe location by the Australian Federal Police on Monday evening, where they remain under their protection, Burke said.
Even before their defection, Australia had deployed its own officers to protect the women.
“There’s been a good police presence at different points, and we just made sure that opportunity was there,” he said.
Once immigration officials completed the processing of the women’s humanitarian visas around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday (1530 GMT Monday), celebrations broke out among those present.
“Once everything had been signed off last night, there were lots of photos, lots of celebrating, and then a spontaneous outcry of ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi’,” Burke said.
“These women are great athletes, great people, and they’re going to feel very much at home in Australia.”
TEAMMATES
Four of the players are teammates at the Bam Khatoon club, which has won the Iranian women’s championship a record 11 times and is where Ghanbari also played until she moved to Persepolis for this season.
Captain Ghanbari was suspended for several days in 2024 after her hijab, the head covering that all Iranian women players must wear, slipped off during a goal celebration in an Asian Champions League fixture.
Iran players pose prior to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, March 8, 2026. Dave Hunt/AAP Image/via REUTERS
The 33-year-old striker, Iran’s record international goalscorer in the women’s game, was allowed to return to play only after she and Bam Khatoon issued apologies.
Ghanbari’s head scarf also slipped off her head several times during Iran’s final Asian Cup match against the Philippines on Sunday, when defeat ended their participation in the tournament.
Burke said the offer of asylum remained open for the other 21 members of the squad who were still at the Gold Coast hotel, though he said it was likely some would return home to Iran.
“These women have been weighing up an incredibly difficult decision,” he said.
-Reuters
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The Iranian soccer team sang and saluted their national anthem ahead of their final Women’s Asian Cup match against the Philippines on Sunday, six days after their decision to remain silent saw them labelled “wartime traitors” on state TV back home.
The Iranians, whose situation had become a cause celebre among human rights campaigners, will play no further part in the tournament after a 2-0 loss to the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium in the state of Queensland.
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari told the post-match news conference that the team was keen to return home.
“We are very impatiently waiting to return,” she told reporters. “Personally, I would like to return to my country as soon as possible and be with my compatriots and family.”
Some fans, who had waved the pre-1979 Iranian flag and booed the national anthem inside the ground, tried to prevent the team coach from leaving the stadium precinct, chanting “Save our girls!”.
Reza Pahlavi, an American-based opposition activist and son of the Shah of Iran who was deposed in the 1979 revolution, called on the Australian government to ensure the team’s safety and give them any needed support.
‘ONGOING THREAT’
“The members of the Iranian Women’s National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic,” he posted on social media platform X.
“As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran.”
The team’s campaign in Australia started last weekend just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on their homeland, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The players declined to sing the anthem before their loss to South Korea in their tournament opener on March 2, a decision a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said showed a lack of patriotism and was the “pinnacle of dishonour”.
They did sing the anthem and saluted before their second defeat against the host nation on Thursday, sparking fears among Australian human rights campaigners that they had been coerced by government minders
A petition launched on Friday on the Change.org website urging Australia to give refuge to the team had gathered more than 51,000 signatures late on Sunday.
The petition called on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to ensure the team did not depart Australia “while credible fears for their safety remain”.
Burke declined to comment on the petition via a spokesperson. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in televised remarks that she did not want to “get into commentary about the Iranian women’s team”.
“Obviously this is a regime that we know has brutally cracked down on its people,” she said.
Players union FIFPRO had previously called on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA to uphold their human rights obligations and undertake all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Iran’s squad in the wake of the broadcast.
–Reuters
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