Iran's ongoing conflict with Israel and the USA has affected millions of people around the world. The ongoing war has entered its 4th day, and in a major retaliation, Iran has continued to attack Israel and other Middle East countries. Amid the escalation, the Iranian Women's Football team made a bold statement during their AFC Asian Cup opener match against South Korea.
The entire Iranian women's team stood still while facing straight ahead and didn't sing the national anthem in a silent protest for the oppressive Iranian regime. The mood was mostly sombre during the anthem, although there were some smiles to acknowledge supporters at the Gold Coast stadium.
Iranian women’s football team refuses to sing the regime’s anthem at the Asian Cup opener — standing up to oppression in front of the world! #Iran #AsianCup #WomenPower pic.twitter.com/Dqh9b9LE9q
— ME24 - Middle East 24 (@MiddleEast_24) March 3, 2026
The Iranian team arrived in Australia before the conflict began and will now face Australia on Thursday. Earlier Iran's head coach Marziyeh Jafari declined to comment on the ongoing situation. “I don’t think we should talk about these matters at all right now.
“There’s a team here for a very important competition that matters to these women and I think those should be the questions.”
On Sunday, the AFC confirmed that the AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 matches scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in the West Region will be rescheduled. The AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League quarterfinals, originally set for Tuesday and Wednesday in the West zone, have also been postponed, with new dates yet to be determined. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club, Al-Nassr, is among the teams affected in the Asian Champions League Two competition.
