GOLD COAST
\nFootball chiefs offered \u201cfull support and assistance\u201d to the Iranian team in Australia on Sunday for the Women\u2019s Asian Cup after the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland.
\nIran\u2019s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday, which assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic Republic.
\nThey are due to open their tournament on Monday against South Korea.
\nThe Asian Football Confederation said in a statement it \u201ccontinues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period\u201d.
\n\u201cThe AFC\u2019s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and security of all players, coaches, officials and fans,\u201d it added.
\n\u201cIn this regard, we are in close and regular contact with the Iranian women\u2019s national team and officials on the Gold Coast and are offering our full support and assistance.\u201d
\nIran coach Marziyeh Jafari held a pre-match press conference on Sunday but stuck to football, saying the tournament was a chance to show \u201cthe potential of Iranian women\u201d.
\n\u201cAfter the league season in Iran, we came together for three training camps, before coming to Australia where we have had a few fruitful sessions, so I hope tomorrow we can show you a good match,\u201d she said.
\nThe 12-team tournament, which kicks off Sunday, will be one of the biggest ever for many Iranian players.
\nThey made a historic debut at the last Asian Cup in India in 2022 and suffered heavy defeats against China and Taiwan, but it made them national heroes in a country where women\u2019s rights are severely restricted.
\n\u201cIn India in 2022, the group was a little easier, now in 2026 we enter with more experience but the group is more tough,\u201d said Jafari of a group that also includes hosts Australia and the Philippines.
\n\u201cBut we (still) want to show in these games the potential of Iranian women.\u201d
\nIran showed grit to come through a challenging qualifying campaign for Australia that culminated with a win against favourites Jordan to seal back-to-back appearance.
\nSkipper Zahra Ghanbari said she was dreaming big.
\n\u201cI believe this tournament is great with great teams, but we really want to qualify for the World Cup,\u201d said the 33-year-old.
\n\u201cWe know these will be tough games, but we have a tough mentality and we want to do our best.\u201d
\nThe top six finishers will qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GOLD COAST Football chiefs offered \u201cfull support and assistance\u201d to the Iranian team in Australia on Sunday for the Women\u2019s Asian Cup after the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran\u2019s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday, which assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-534229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n