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The Iranian women’s national football team made quite a statement on Monday night during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup, refusing to sing as their national anthem was played over the loudspeakers at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
The players were in their usual line before their match against South Korea, when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, staring straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as there appeared to be boos from the crowd. Later, applause broke out among the spectators after South Korea’s 3-0 victory.
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari was also seen smiling as she observed the silence of her players from the sidelines.
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The Iranian team listens to the national anthems before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 soccer match between South Korea and Iran in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026. (Izhar Khan / AFP)
This silence is particularly deafening after the confirmed US-Israeli strikes this weekend that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since counterattacked by firing missiles and drones at Israel and regional countries that host U.S. allies or military bases, including Bahrain and Qatar.
During media questioning on Sunday, Iran women’s national team captain Zahra Ghanbari, alongside Jafari, was asked about Khamenei’s death. The question was quickly dismissed.
Jafari responded in Farsi, but an AFC media representative interrupted his response without any translation, according to ESPN.
“OK, I think that’s it for your question. Thanks for asking. Let’s just focus on the game itself,” the media representative said before continuing with the questions.
While the content of Jafari’s response remains unknown, the team’s stoic nature during the national anthem, which at least some players sing along to, speaks volumes.
The massive joint US-Israeli military operation, known as “Operation Epic Fury,” has left numerous top Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, dead. President Donald Trump warned Sunday against any Iranian retaliation, saying that if Iran “hits really hard” it would be met with “a force never seen before.”
The attacks affected the world of sport as well as the rest of the country; The president of the football federation has shared a gloomy view of participation in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Iran have already qualified for the tournament and are set to face New Zealand in Los Angeles in June to kick off their Group G schedule.
of the Islamic Republic of Iran comes out for the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between the Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran at Gold Coast Stadium on March 2, 2026 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Albert Pérez/Getty Images)
“What is certain is that after this attack we cannot look forward to the World Cup with hope,” 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 said it would monitor the situation with Iran.
The Iranian 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 national team was allowed to participate in the Asian Cup.
Elsewhere in the sports world, PK Press Club Digital has learned that the Israeli national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the backlash, with the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) issuing a statement announcing that the violence had caused “unavoidable disruption.”
“The current security situation in our region has led to unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the professional plans of the national teams, especially as we are at the start of the international season,” the statement said.
The Iranian team poses for a group photo before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match against South Korea in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026. (Izhar Khan / AFP)
A source within the team also told PK Press Club Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since the Iranian counterattacks began.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday, when a barrage of missiles landed a few kilometers from Jerusalem, in Beit Shemesh.
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