US soccer great, two-time World Cup winner and former Ballon d’Or Féminin recipient Megan Rapinoe is being accused of hypocrisy for her silence on the Iranian women’s team.
Five members of Iran’s 2026 Women’s Asian Cup squad were recently granted asylum by the tournament’s host country, Australia, amid joint US-Israeli strikes on the Middle Eastern nation.
Earlier in the tournament, Team Iran was seen forgoing the country’s national anthem before a game against South Korea, prompting state television to label the women ‘wartime traitors.’ So when Team Iran was ultimately eliminated, Australian officials offered asylum to anyone who feared retribution back home.
But while Rapinoe has been an outspoken advocate for women around the globe, she’s been conspicuously silent on the plight of Team Iran, according to British TV host Piers Morgan.
‘The silence over this from Rapinoe, and so many supposed “feminists” like her, is so telling, damning, and hypocritical,’ Morgan wrote on X.
Morgan then made a reference to Rapinoe’s support for trans athletes in women’s sports.
An undated photo released by Australia’s Department of Home Affairs on March 11, 2026 shows six Iranian football players and a team official with two unidentified local officials (2nd and 3rd R) in Sydney, after they claimed asylum in Australia. One player did change her mind
US soccer great, two-time World Cup winner and former Ballon d’Or Féminin recipient Megan Rapinoe is being accused of hypocrisy for her silence on the Iranian women’s team
While Rapinoe has been an outspoken advocate for women around the globe, she’s been conspicuously silent on the plight of Team Iran, according to Piers Morgan (pictured)
‘They’d rather campaign for biological men to wreck women’s sport than campaign for these heroic young sportswomen to help save their lives,’ Morgan added.
The 60-year-old broadcaster was responding to a New York Post column – a piece that chastised Rapinoe’s criticism of Team USA men’s hockey players who laughed at Donald Trump’s dismissive joke about their women counterparts.
‘The United States’ men’s hockey team in their utter moment of glory, childhood dreams come true, once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment, sensational – ruined it for themselves because they allowed themselves to be totally co-opted by a clown,’ the 40-year-old Rapinoe recently said on her podcast. ‘And now, you’re a clown. You look like a clown.’
The five Iranian players who were granted asylum by Australia are now safe after having their location revealed by another member of their delegation, according to officials.
On Tuesday, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told parliament that 21-year-old striker Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staffer Zahra Soltan Moshkehkar had accepted the government’s offer of asylum after five others did so a day earlier. But without specifying whether it was Zolfi or Moshkehkar who had second thoughts, Burke has since revealed one of the two changed their mind and called the Iranian embassy ‘to get collected.’
That call led Iranian handlers to learn where the defectors were staying, prompting Australian officials to quickly relocate the asylum seekers.
‘I immediately gave the instruction for people to be moved, and that’s been dealt with immediately,’ Burke said.
Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia
Burke poses in an undisclosed location with five Iranian women soccer players who have been granted asylum in Australia. The women were moved after their location was leaked
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke poses with Iranian women’s soccer team support worker Zahra Soltan Meshkeh Kar and team player Mohaddeseh Zolfi, who were granted asylum on Tuesday. Since then, one of the two women changed her mind, according to Burke
Burke also stressed that the person who decided to return to Iran was given every opportunity to remain in Australia: ‘This was her decision, and every question you would want asked, was asked.’
As for the women who are staying in Australia, Burke said they will be fast-tracked to permanent residency.
Burke has identified those five players as: Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.
‘They want to be clear they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,’ Burke said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed their situation on Tuesday, calling the five players ‘brave women’ and promising ‘they’re safe here and they should feel at home here.’
Meanwhile, Iran has announced it will not take part in this summer’s World Cup in North America.
When asked about Iran’s participation at the World Cup by Politico last week, US President Trump replied: ‘I really don’t care.’
