The impossible choice for Iran’s women’s national team: Defect or return to a war zone
Full Time: A show about women's soccer
The Athletic
4.8 • 807 Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When five players made their decision to defect in the 24 hours following Iran’s final match of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, a 2-0 loss to the Philippines, they faced a near-impossible choice. Return to a war zone or leave everything behind and stay in Australia. If they remained in Australia, they had to consider the risks faced by their family back home.
On this episode of the Full Time Focus, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead to discuss his extensive reporting on the journey of Iran women’s national team at the Asian Cup. The Athletic has spoken to over two dozen sources with knowledge of the team’s experience at the Asian Cup, including people close to the women who defected. In the end, seven members of Iran’s group defected, but five changed their minds and returned home, with two remaining in Brisbane, Australia.
PLUS: The latest on this year’s Asian Cup ahead of Saturday’s final in Sydney, Australia, and the six teams who have qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUEST: Jacob Whitehead
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Referenced on the show:
The Iran women footballers faced with an impossible choice: Defect or return to a war zone
Iran football team returns home after week-long journey, two players remain in Australia
Five Iran Women soccer players defect with help of police following Asian Cup in Australia
FIFA, Australian government hold urgent talks over Iran women’s team’s future after Asian Cup exit
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And so with these protests going on in January and February, it always felt like the chances of them protesting were going to be quite high. |
| 0:10.4 | But then the geopolitical states were raised even further by the killing of Ayatollah Khomeini by the US-Israeli strikes on February 28th, |
| 0:18.4 | which meant that any protest they're going to make was instantly |
| 0:21.8 | going to be, I guess, yeah, looked on as a really, really serious offence by the government, |
| 0:28.3 | because almost inadvertently this team, who have become the most visible face of Iran on |
| 0:35.1 | the international stage. |
| 0:43.4 | Music of Iran on the international stage. Hello, hello, everybody. |
| 0:45.1 | A very warm welcome to full-time focus. |
| 0:48.0 | I'm your host today, Jillian Zakovitz. |
| 0:49.9 | We have an incredibly important episode for you. |
| 0:53.6 | The focus of this show is going to be the incredible story that continues for the Iranian women's national team |
| 1:00.5 | and the impossible choice that those players and staff had to make to defect and stay in Australia |
| 1:06.2 | or return home to what is now a war zone. |
| 1:10.4 | I will be joined by the Athletics, Jacob Whitehead, |
| 1:12.8 | who has been covering this story extensively on what has been going on with the team in and out |
| 1:18.5 | of Australia after the 26 Women's Asian Cup. As always, you can head over to the Athletic |
| 1:25.3 | to check out all of Jacob's extensive reporting. |
| 1:28.4 | We will link all of his articles in the show notes as well. |
| 1:31.1 | But in case you want to get all caught up, you can pause the show and go read those over at the Athletic. |
| 1:36.5 | All right, after a very short break, we'll be back with Jacob Whitehead. |
| 1:50.8 | And with me now, I am so lucky to be joined by the athletics, Jacob Whitehead, who's been reporting extensively on the story of the Iranian women's national team and what has been |
| 1:56.2 | an impossible choice. Hi, Jacob. Hey, how's it going? Good. Thank you. I think this is a really important |
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