New stadium ban threatens the growth of women’s football in Iran

Iran has rarely been far from the headlines throughout 2026.

On 28 February, Operation Epic Fury saw the United States and Israel launch direct strikes on the country, providing the backdrop to an increasingly volatile year across the Middle East.

At home, the challenges facing Iranian women’s football have only become more complicated.

An obstacle to growth

On 18 October 2026, the League Organisation of the Iranian Football Federation issued a directive banning men from entering stadiums hosting women’s football matches.

More significantly for the development and visibility of the game, the directive extends beyond spectators to male journalists, videographers, photographers, coaches and club executives.

Upon issuing the directive, League Organisation secretary Mohammad Reza Keshvari-Fard warned host clubs that any violations would be referred to the federation’s judicial bodies.

Speaking on The Asian Game’s From Dreams to Goals podcast, Dubai-based Iranian sports journalist Erfan Hoseiny explained why he believes the restrictions could prove damaging to a women’s game that had been building momentum.

“I think this is a very big hit to Iranian women’s football,” Hoseiny said.

“I’m sure those who are Asian football fans have probably seen Bam Khatoon play in the Women’s Champions League or the Iranian national team at the last two Asian Cups.

“Just as it was getting more popular and more people attended the games with their families, it’s a huge hit for them. A lot of the women themselves have been speaking out recently as well.”

Hoseiny said there appeared to have been no specific incident that prompted the sudden change.

“Nothing really has happened specifically,” he continued.

“There have been videos going around of men going into stadiums and watching games with their families, whether it’s watching their wives or watching their daughters.

“I guess we’re back in that situation where three years ago women couldn’t enter stadiums, and now it’s the opposite. Honestly, I don’t see a difference between those two. I think it’s a similar situation.”

The timing has also attracted attention, with the directive arriving immediately before the first Tehran women’s derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal.

Hoseiny believes that is significant.

“Since the Tehran derby is going ahead and it’s probably going to be the most watched women’s game in Iranian football history, I think that’s the main reason,” he said.

“It’s something new. Esteghlal and Persepolis, the two Tehran clubs, didn’t have women’s teams until two or three years ago. That was mostly due to the AFC’s rules, where teams wanting to participate in Asian competitions should at least be working towards having women’s teams.

“I think the timing is very important and very specific because they waited until the exact week that they play.

“The game even got postponed for a few days because they want to play at a bigger venue, but I don’t see the point when families can’t watch their own daughters, sisters and wives play.”

Beyond spectators, it is the restriction on male professionals that could prove particularly damaging to the growth and exposure of Iranian women’s football.

“We have fantastic female journalists and photographers in Iran,” Hoseiny said.

“But it’s important that the interest in the women’s game grows, and that was happening. We had seen male photographers, journalists and even CEOs from clubs attending women’s games, which is not something we would have seen a few years ago.

“There are a lot of women in that field, but I think it’s important that everyone has an equal opportunity and that interest in the game continues to grow.

“Men attending the game is one of the important ways that can happen.”

A year in the spotlight

The new restrictions are not the first major issue Iranian women’s football has confronted this year.

Iran’s women’s national team made international headlines during March’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia after players refused to sing the Iranian national anthem before their match against South Korea.

Seven players and affiliated staff subsequently applied for asylum in Australia over fears for their safety. Five later withdrew their applications, with human rights activists alleging they had come under pressure following threats against family members in Iran.

For Hoseiny, the episode brought unprecedented international attention to the players, but that attention also came with consequences.

“They say there is no bad publicity,” he said. “I think it was good that the world got to know about these girls.

“At the same time, it made the authorities focus more on these women and make sure something like this is not repeated in the future.

“So I think these girls may be a bit more scared to do something similar in the future.

“And this doesn’t apply only to these girls. I think it applies to most Iranian athletes.”

For Iranian women’s football, that tension between greater visibility and greater restriction is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

The game has made meaningful strides in recent years, from Iran’s return to the Asian Cup stage to Bam Khatoon’s emergence in continental club competition and the growing interest surrounding the domestic league.

But progress depends on being seen.

At a time when Iranian women’s football needs wider audiences, stronger media coverage and greater opportunities, restricting who can enter the stadium risks taking the game in precisely the opposite direction.