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Former American soccer star Megan Rapinoe has spoken out in support of the Iranian women’s soccer team amid the players’ trials and tribulations in recent weeks as they competed in Australia.
The Iranian women’s football team was in Australia earlier this month to participate in the Women’s Asian Cup. Players were seen refusing to sing their country’s national anthem as the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against the Iranian regime. The players were called “war traitors” by an Iranian channel for their decisions during the tournament.
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Retired American soccer player Megan Rapinoe looks on before a SheBelieves Cup match against Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 7, 2026 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Australian officials then rushed to try to get the players asylum in the country. At least two players remained in Australia while the rest of the team returned to Iran.
Rapinoe praised the “bravery and courage” of the women.
“I think about this in the context of the immense pressure these young adults and young women are under to make a decision like this,” she said on the “A Touch More” podcast. “Like, the incredible courage and courage it would take to know what this might mean for their family back home. The courage and courage to protest the national anthem, basically to protest the Iranian regime and not sing the national anthem during a game. The stress and uncertainty that they face – their family, their loved ones. What does all of this mean for their return home?
“Of course, I fully support their decision to seek asylum and seek a better life and try to escape an incredibly oppressive regime in this situation. I don’t know what’s going on with them and why some of them left and however they left. I hope that those who returned home did so of their own free will and choice and that their families are safe, that they are safe and that their friends are safe. I hope those who have chosen to stay feel a sense of peace and hope about the potential for a new life in Australia or otherwise.
Iranian players react during their national anthem before the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)
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Rapinoe added that she was “impressed by their courage.”
The former American football star was criticized for not speaking out as the saga unfolded in the country. Piers Morgan was among those who called Rapinoe a “hypocrite.”
“The silence of Rapinoe and so many so-called ‘feminists’ like her is revealing, damning and hypocritical,” he wrote in a social media post. “They would rather campaign for biological males to destroy women’s sport than campaign for these heroic young sportswomen to help save their lives.”
She did not respond to his criticism in her latest podcast episode with Sue Bird.
Initially, seven Iranian female footballers accepted asylum, but turned around and declined the opportunity at the last minute. Two remaining players were seen training with one of the country’s top clubs last week.
The Australian government has been criticized for not working fast enough to reach players.
“We have come up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator for the Australian Refugee Council, told the Associated Press.
FILE – Iranian players pose for a team photo before the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP, File)
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“Hopefully the two who remain will get the protection they need, but we just hope those who have returned are safe too. »
