WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Countdown to Women’s World Cup: Debutants come with surprises up their sleeves
Eight teams will play their first Women’s World Cup when the expanded tournament kicks off next week and a couple of recent shock results indicate that they might not just be in Australia and New Zealand to make up the numbers.
Critics of the expansion from 24 to 32 teams raised concerns that inexperienced newcomers might be trampled beneath the feet of the traditional powerhouses from Europe and North America.
Zambia, however, showed that no team should be underestimated last week when the World Cup first-timers shocked twice world champions Germany 3-2 in a pre-tournament friendly.
Zambia striker Barbra Banda grabbed a brace, including the winner deep into stoppage time, after making a pre-match pledge that her 77th-ranked side could make inroads Down Under.
“It’s a dream come true so I need to showcase my talent there,” the captain told reporters.
“We have set a target of progressing to the next round and do well there and maybe go all the way to the finals.”
Zambia, who open their campaign against 2011 winners Japan on July 22, will be joined at the tournament by fellow newcomers Haiti, Ireland, Morocco, the Philippines, Portugal, Panama and Vietnam, compared to just four first-timers seen in 2019.
“There most likely will be some lopsided scorelines just given the fact that some of these teams have not been able to be on the world stage or be in an environment like this,” said retired U.S. great Carli Lloyd.
The Fox Sports analyst nonetheless predicted the tournament would be “the biggest, best and most competitive World Cup to date”.
“It’s just amazing – a team like Ireland being able to come in and play in their first World Cup and Vietnam and Portugal even,” she told Reuters. “The expanded field is going to be great.”
The 21st-ranked Portuguese are the highest ranked among the newcomers and earlier this month held the European champions England to a goalless draw.
“I think anyone can beat anyone on any day,” said England defender Jess Carter.
“I think obviously we are constantly improving but the quality of international teams now is just getting better and better.
“The World Cup is so open for so many teams to go and win. Everyone wants to be challenging for the same thing.”
INSPIRE NEXT GENERATION
Portugal face a big test in their opener against 2019 losing finalists the Netherlands, while England play newcomers Haiti in their first match.
Haiti’s goalkeeper Kerly Theus hopes their debut can inspire the next generation and put her country on the map for the world’s most popular sport.
“I’ve been to tournaments where people said ‘Haiti? What’s that?’” she told the BBC. “We want the world to know about Haiti and the talent we have.
“Oh, and we want to get past the group stage.”
Ireland, a dark horse that analysts are keeping an eye on, suffered a scare after captain Katie McCabe rolled her ankle during a friendly against France two weeks before their debut campaign.
The Irish begin the tournament against Australia’s Matildas next Thursday and will be out to crash the co-host’s opening party.
After reigning champions the United States beat Wales 2-0 in their farewell match on Sunday, coach Vlatko Andonovski said that the top-ranked teams could not afford to take any side for granted.
“The top ten have always been there. The world that is catching up is Wales, is Vietnam, is Zambia, Portugal,” he told reporters.
“You know, the 7-0, 8-0 games are gone and we can see that. I mean, Germany plays against Zambia (and) loses 3-2. Those games are going to happen.”
The Americans had not been held goalless in the first half since January but were utterly flummoxed against 30th-ranked Wales before finally breaking through late into the affair.
While Wales did not qualify for the quadrennial tournament, the lower-ranked squad had sent a message to any of the favourites in Australia and New Zealand.
“No game is going to be easy,” said Andonovski. “It doesn’t matter who is in front of us.”
-Reuters
The Iranian women’s soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.
Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they returned to Iran.
Concerns over their safety surfaced when several players failed to sing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran. Iranian state television had labelled them “wartime traitors”.
The team, which flew into Istanbul on Tuesday, took a flight to Igdir in eastern Turkey on Wednesday morning.
The players emerged from Igdir Airport, pulling their luggage and chatted in front of the terminal before boarding a bus to the border. One of them briefly smiled and waved at a TV camera before the bus departed. After a trip of around two hours to the frontier, they went through passport control at the Gurbulak border gate before crossing over into Iran.
A bus carrying members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team arrives at the Gurbulak Border Gate, a crossing point between Turkey and Iran, as they travel to their home country after five players withdrew the asylum claims they had lodged in Australia over safety concerns about returning due to not singing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month, in the eastern Agri province, Turkey, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Ali Ihsan Ozturk
The team’s Asian Cup campaign began just as the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament more than a week ago.
Five of those who had sought asylum in Australia subsequently changed their minds and decided to return home, with Australian media reporting the latest withdrawal on Monday.
They rejoined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where the team had been staying since leaving Sydney last week.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) said last week that those who had changed their minds would travel home with the rest of the team “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”
Two players are still in Australia and have been pictured training with a local A-League club.
-Reuters
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The two players from the Iranian women’s soccer squad who chose to remain in Australia after seeking asylum have been pictured training with a local A-League club as they begin their new lives in the country.
Midfielder Fatemeh Pasandideh and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh were among seven members of Iran’s delegation granted humanitarian visas amid fears of possible persecution if they returned home after competing in the women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Concerns over their safety emerged after the players failed to sing their national anthem before their opening match on the Gold Coast in the state of Queensland. Iranian state media labelled them as “wartime traitors”, with the team’s campaign beginning as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran.
Five members of the group, however, subsequently changed their minds about Australia’s asylum offer and decided to return home.
Queensland-based A-League club Brisbane Roar announced on social media the remaining two players, Pasandideh and Ramezanizadeh, had joined a training session with its women’s team on Monday.
“Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh to the club’s training facilities…and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages,” CEO Kaz Patafta said.
Photos posted by the club showed the two players meeting the Brisbane Roar squad and taking part in shooting drills.
“Thank you for everything,” wrote Ramezanizadeh, 33, under the post on Instagram.
Pasandideh, 21, also posted on her Instagram story on Monday a photo with FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis in Brisbane with a caption saying “everything will be fine”.
While the pair began their new lives in Australia, their former teammates made their way home to Iran from Malaysia.
The team was seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday evening, checking in on an Oman Air flight, although their destination was unclear.
-Reuters
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Three Iranian women soccer players to return home after seeking asylum in Australia
Three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, Australia’s government said on Sunday.
Australia granted humanitarian visas to seven Iranian footballers last week after they sought asylum, saying they feared persecution if they returned home after they failed to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.
Four of the seven members have decided to leave Australia so far. Another member changed her mind last week.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he added.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) named the players as Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Meshkehkar.
“After arriving in Malaysia and joining the rest of Iran’s women’s national football team, the three players will travel to Tehran in the coming days to once again be embraced by their families and homeland,” FFIRI added in a statement.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.
-Reuters
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