The head of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, on Tuesday raised doubts over Iran’s participation in this year’s men’s World Cup, following the defection of several players from the country’s women’s national team at the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Taj, speaking on Iranian state television, said the women players were coerced into defecting and questioned whether Iran should send its national teams to competitions abroad under such circumstances.
The men’s World Cup, scheduled to be hosted jointly by the “,“United States”,“country”], Mexico”,“country”], and Canada, will see Iran play all three of its group games in the United States—two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
The controversy erupted after five players from Iran’s women’s team, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, left their hotel under cover of darkness to claim asylum with Australian authorities.
At least two additional players reportedly applied for asylum later in the day, according to local media.
Taj accused the United States and Israel of creating conditions that led to the defections and suggested that the team had effectively been “taken hostage.”
He referenced past attacks, including an alleged airstrike in Minab that killed 160 civilians, as part of the broader context of conflict.
Some Iranian state media had previously condemned the players as “wartime traitors” after they remained silent during the national anthem before their opening match against South Korea.
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The team later sang the anthem and performed the military salute in subsequent games.
Taj also criticised the US for encouraging the defections, citing tweets from former President Donald Trump welcoming the players as refugees.
He warned that if Australia did not grant asylum, the players would be allowed to go to the US.
The incident sparked protests outside the Gold Coast stadium, where crowds chanted slogans such as “let them go” and “save our girls” during Iran’s match against the Philippines.
Iran was eliminated from the tournament after a 2-0 loss to the Philippines, intensifying concerns over the future of the country’s participation in international competitions.
Taj concluded that the defections and related events cast uncertainty over Iran’s willingness to participate in the men’s World Cup under current geopolitical tensions.