Zahra Ghanbari (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: Football chiefs offered “full support and assistance” to Iran’s women’s Asian Cup team in Australia on Sunday after the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong force arrived on the Gold Coast days before Saturday’s attacks that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic.They will open their tournament against South Korea on Monday.
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The Asian Football Confederation said in a statement that it “continues to closely monitor recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period”.“The AFC’s highest priority remains the welfare, safety and security of all players, coaches, officials and fans,” he added.“In this regard, we are in close and regular contact with the Iran Women’s National Team and officials in the Gold Coast and offer our full support and assistance.”Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari held a pre-match news conference on Sunday but focused on football, saying the tournament was a chance to show the “potential of Iranian women”.“After the league season in Iran, we got together for three training camps before coming to Australia where we had some fruitful training sessions, so I hope we can give you a good game tomorrow,” she said.The 12-team tournament, which begins on Sunday, will be one of the biggest stages ever for many Iranian players.They made their historic debut at the last Asia Cup in India in 2022 and suffered heavy defeats against China and Taiwan, but made them national heroes in a country where women’s rights are severely restricted.“In India in 2022 the group was a bit easier, now in 2026 we come in with more experience but the group is tougher,” Jafari said of the group that also includes hosts Australia and the Philippines.“But we (still) want to show the potential of Iranian women in these games.”Iran showed grit to come through a tough qualifying campaign for Australia, culminating in a win against favorites Jordan to seal the tie.Captain Zahra Ghanbari said she dreamed big.“I believe this tournament is great with great teams, but we really want to qualify for the World Cup,” said the 33-year-old.“We know it will be tough games, but we have a tough mentality and we want to give our best performance.”The top six players qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
