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Lukaku wheels away in celebration.

FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia take on Uruguay, underdogs Egypt and Cape Verde stun Belgium and Spain

A 40-year-old goalkeeper starred for debutants Cape Verde against a flat Spain, as build-up intensifies towards Iran’s opening game against New Zealand.

  • Emma Kemp

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President Donald Trump with the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy. The president says his economic policy is still winning.

One possible World Cup match-up would Trump all others, and not for the football

If results fall a certain way, the United States and Iran could meet in the knockout rounds – compressing decades of geopolitical tension into 90 minutes of football.

  • Tony Yang
Atefeh Ramezanisadeh (left) and Fatemeh Pasandideh, former members of the Iranian Women’s Football Team, photographed in Brisbane, April 2026.

Asylum-seeking Iranian soccer players declare intent to play in Australia

Iranian footballers Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh have confirmed their desire to remain in Australia to continue their careers.

  • Nick Wright
Iranian women’s football player Fatemeh Pasandideh in action training with the Brisbane Roar women’s squad.

‘Thanks for everything’: Two Iranian players start new life, begin soccer training

The two remaining Iranian women’s soccer players have begun training with the Brisbane Roar, as five of their teammates abandoned their asylum claims.

  • Matthew Knott
Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke with five Iranian women soccer players who were granted asylum on Monday night. Some of the players have now left Australia.

Burke’s celebration of Iranian players’ asylum now looks more like an own goal

A week ago, a beaming Tony Burke stood alongside five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team. It is now the picture of a cautionary tale.

  • James Massola
Iranian soccer player Fatemeh Pasandideh with FIFA executive and former US women’s coach Jill Ellis.

‘Everything will be fine’: Iranian player poses at Brisbane waterfront as captain flies home

Five members of the Iranian delegation have now abandoned their asylum claims, leaving just two remaining in Australia.

  • Matthew Knott
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The three Iranian team members who left on Saturday. There were three players left in Australia on Sunday.

Another Iranian soccer player returns home, amid fears of group infiltration

The news will come as a blow to the Iranian diaspora in Australia, which fears more reversals could follow.

  • Matthew Knott
Iranian women’s national team players walk towards their bus on the Gold Coast.

Courage and heartbreak: The story that united – and chilled – Australia

For those of us who have never experienced authoritarianism, it was distressing to watch its dark hand stretch to our shores as the members of Iran’s women’s soccer team faced a terrible choice.

  • Jordan Baker
How a Trump post sparked a wave of misinformation about Australia

How a Trump post sparked a wave of misinformation about Australia

The twists and turns in the tale of the Iranian women’s team in Australia this week came with a deluge of social media misinformation amplified by the usual suspects.

  • Michael Koziol
The Iranian embassy in Canberra, where diplomat Mohammad Pournajaf worked.

Top Iranian diplomat defected, received asylum in secret escape

Iran’s second most senior diplomat in Australia defected from the hardline regime and received asylum in Australia three years ago, a fact that has stayed secret until now.

  • Brittany Busch and Matthew Knott