Overview
- AFP reported the squad arrived in Igdir, Turkey, then crossed the Gürbulak border post, with four players—including captain Zahra Ghanbari—and a staff member returning after withdrawing asylum requests.
- The returning group traveled from Australia through Kuala Lumpur and Oman before reaching Istanbul and proceeding to the Turkey–Iran frontier.
- Two players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, remain in Australia under government protection and have begun training with Brisbane Roar’s A-League Women squad.
- Australian officials say they are investigating activist and ex-player Shiva Amini’s allegations that players’ families were pressured, with no findings announced so far.
- The Asian Football Confederation pledged periodic monitoring through Iran’s federation, while President Donald Trump publicly urged Australia to grant asylum to the players.