Trump’s asylum offer to the Iranian women’s football team has drawn global attention after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would take in the Iranian women’s football team if Australia does not step in.
The team is in Australia for the Asia Cup and is due to return to Iran after losing its final group match on Sunday. However, calls for protection have grown after Iranian state media labelled the players “traitors” for refusing to sing the national anthem before their first match on March 2.
Trump used his Truth Social platform to urge Australia not to send the players back to Iran. He said Australia would make a serious humanitarian mistake by allowing the team to return and claimed the players could face grave danger.
He also urged the Australian prime minister to offer them asylum. Trump added that the United States would accept the team if Australia refused.
The controversy began after the Iranian women’s football team failed to sing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national anthem before its opening match. The players later sang the anthem in their following matches, but Iranian media still condemned the earlier act and called it “the pinnacle of dishonour.”
At the same time, pressure has grown inside Australia. A campaign under the slogan “Save our girls” is calling on the government to protect the team and stop the players from returning to Iran. An online petition supporting the team’s safety has already gathered more than 50,000 signatures.
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So far, the Australian government has not responded to Trump’s comments or to the demands from human rights activists.
The story now sits at the centre of a wider debate about sport, political expression and player safety during a period of regional conflict. As attention grows, the future of the Iranian women’s football team remains uncertain.
