Zahra Ganbari (Image credit: X)
NEW DELHI: Football chiefs extended “full support and assistance” to the Iranian national team in Australia on Sunday for the Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched widespread attacks on their homeland.
The 26-strong Iranian contingent arrived on the Gold Coast days before Saturday’s raids that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to overthrow the Islamic Republic.They are scheduled to open their tournament campaign on Monday against South Korea.
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The AFC said in a statement that it “continues to closely monitor recent developments in the Middle East during this difficult period.”
He added: “The AFC’s top priority remains the well-being, safety and security of all players, coaches, officials and fans.”“In this regard, we are in close and regular contact with the Iranian women’s national team and officials at Gold Coast and offer our full support and assistance,” he added.Iran coach Marzieh Jafari held a pre-match press conference on Sunday but focused on football, saying the tournament was an opportunity to show “the potential of Iranian women.”
“After the league season in Iran, we came together for three training camps, before coming to Australia where we had some fruitful training sessions, so I hope tomorrow we can give you a good match,” 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 Asian Cup in India in 2022 and suffered heavy defeats to China and Taiwan, but that made them national heroes in a country where women’s rights are severely restricted.“In India in 2022, the group was a little easier,” Jafari said about a group that also includes Australia and the Philippines. “Now in 2026, we enter with more experience, but the group is more difficult.”“But we (still) want to show in these games the potential of Iranian women.”Iran showed its determination to get through a challenging qualifying campaign for Australia, which culminated in a victory over tournament favorites Jordan to secure qualification for two successive occasions.Rabbi Zahra Qanbari said that she was dreaming a lot.“I think this tournament is great with great teams, but we really want to qualify for the World Cup,” the 33-year-old said.“We know that these matches will be difficult, but we have a difficult mentality and we want to do our best.”The top six finishers will qualify for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil.
