NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Iran’s women’s national football team made a big statement on Monday night during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup, as they refused to sing as their national anthem played over the speakers at the Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
The players were in their usual line before the game against South Korea, when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, who were staring straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as there seemed to be boos from the crowd. Later, attendees applauded after South Korea’s 3-0 victory.
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari was also seen smiling as she watched her players’ silence from the sidelines.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Iran’s team listens to the national anthems before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between South Korea and Iran in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026. (Izhar Khan/AFP)
This silence is particularly deafening following confirmed attacks between the United States and Israel over the weekend that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and countries in the region that host U.S. military bases or allies, including Bahrain and Qatar.
During media questioning on Sunday, Iran women’s national team captain Zahra Ghanbari, along with Jafari, was asked about Khamenei’s death. The question was quickly rejected.
Jafari responded in Farsi, but an AFC media representative cut off his response without any translation, according to ESPN.
“Okay, I think that’s it for your question. Thanks for asking. Let’s focus on the game itself,” the media representative said before the questions continued.
While the content of Jafari’s response is unknown, the team’s stoic nature during the national anthem, which is usually greeted by at least some players singing, says enough.
The massive joint US-Israeli military operation, known as “Operation Epic Fury,” left many of Iran’s top leaders dead, including Khamenei. President Donald Trump on Sunday warned against any Iranian retaliation, saying that if Iran “hit very hard,” it would be met with “force never seen before.”
The attacks have impacted the sports world as well as the rest of the country; The president of the soccer federation shared a grim outlook about playing in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Iran has already qualified for the tournament and will face New Zealand in Los Angeles in June to kick off their Group G schedule.
of the Islamic Republic of Iran walks for the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Korea Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran at Gold Coast Stadium on March 2, 2026 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Albert Pérez/Getty Images)
“The truth is that after this attack we cannot wait with hope for the World Cup,” football president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday.
“The American regime has attacked our homeland and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”
FIFA also noted that it will closely monitor the situation with Iran.
Iran’s national team will not prepare for the World Cup at this time as a 40-day mourning period is in effect following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, the women’s team was allowed to compete in the Asian Cup.
Elsewhere in the sports world, Pak Gazette Digital has learned that Israel’s national gymnastics team suspended all team training and activities amid the counterattack, and the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) issued a statement announcing that the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”
““The current security situation in our region has resulted in inevitable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the professional plans of the national teams, particularly now that we are at the beginning of the international season,” the statement read.
Team Iran poses for a group photo before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match against South Korea on the Gold Coast on March 2, 2026. (Izhar Khan/AFP)
A source within the team also told Pak Gazette Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterattacks began.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday, when a barrage of missiles landed just a few kilometers from Jerusalem in Beit Shemesh.
Related article
