Five players from Iran’s national women’s football team have fled their Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) minders at a hotel in Australia, where they have since sought political asylum. According to social media footage circulating on Tuesday, 10 March 2026, the athletes sprinted down a fire-escape staircase while being pursued by their IRGC-appointed escorts — narrowly making it outside just before the garage door closed behind them.
A Desperate Dash for Freedom
Their lawyer, Tina Kordrostami, told an Australian broadcaster that the group first descended the emergency stairs before attempting to exit through the hotel’s parking garage. When the IRGC handlers realized the players were missing, chaos erupted. As reported by the independent media outlet NEXTA, the guards — furious and frustrated — rushed after them on foot, bypassing the elevator to save time. Fortunately for the women, the garage entrance was locked, buying them crucial seconds to reach safety.
Confusion and Contradictions
Inside the hotel lobby, staff and officials quickly grasped what had happened. The IRGC escorts appeared visibly shaken — tasked with tightly controlling the players’ movements, yet having failed spectacularly.
Meanwhile, other members of the Iranian delegation were waiting at Sydney Airport, preparing to board a flight with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. Speaking anonymously to the Sydney Morning Herald, several players repeated the same message: they wanted to return home to their families. When asked about their five teammates who remained behind in Australia, one player simply said: “They’ve become refugees.” Asked whether she herself wished to seek asylum — and whether Iran was safe — she shook her head. “Iran is my homeland,” she replied.