FIFA president hails Iranian female fans return to stadiums

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has commended the presence of females at a Hazfi Cup football match in Iran’s city of Mashhad, calling it an “encouraging development,” as reported by The New Arab via Reuters on November 4th.

The match took place on November 2nd between Nassaji Mazandaran and Shahid Ghandi Yazd. With few exceptions, women have been barred from attending sports competitions in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The presence of female fans at Mashhad’s Imam Reza Stadium marks a small step in what many see as a long struggle for gender equality within Iran.

“I was very pleased to learn about the attendance of women and girls at an Iranian Hazfi Cup game between Nassaji Mazandaran and Shahid Ghandi Yazd,” Infantino said on November 3rd. “This is an encouraging development following last December’s Iranian top-flight match … in Isfahan, where 45,000 women and girls were in attendance, and 2023’s Tehran Derby when 3,000 women and girls were present in the stadium.”

The move follows previous notable moments, including last year’s all-female crowd at a match in Isfahan between Sepahan and Persepolis. The all-female nature of the event was ordered by the Iranian Football Federation after a Sepahan cheerleader led offensive chants about female fans of Persepolis during a former clash between the teams at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, during May last year.

However, women’s rights activists remain cautious. Open Stadiums, a women’s rights campaign group, noted that only a limited number of women were allowed into the November 2nd match. The group also pointed out that the game took place in the same venue where Human Rights Watch reported that dozens of women were forcibly blocked from entering during a 2022 World Cup qualifier between Iran and Lebanon.

Infantino expressed hope that the progress would continue. “FIFA’s vision is to make football … available to everyone in all parts of the world because our game belongs to anyone who wishes to experience it,” he said. “As we continue our dialogue and efforts with relevant authorities across the world to make football even more global, I hope to see these developments continue in a positive direction.”

Iran has already secured a qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America, potentially adding international attention to how the nation handles gender inclusion in sport.

The New Arab via Reuters