FIFA President Gianni Infantino has praised the presence of women and girls at a recent domestic cup match in Mashhad, Iran, calling it an “encouraging development” toward broader inclusion in Iranian sports. The match, a Hazfi Cup fixture between Nassaji Mazandaran and Shahid Ghandi Yazd, was held at the Imam Reza Stadium. This move is significant given the near-total ban on female spectators at men’s sporting events since the 1979 revolution, a restriction that has long drawn international scrutiny and calls for Iran’s exclusion from global tournaments.
Infantino, who has preferred a policy of direct engagement with the Iranian leadership, highlighted this event alongside others, such as the top-flight match in Isfahan last December where 45,000 women and girls were reportedly in attendance. FIFA’s vision is to ensure football is accessible to everyone globally, and the President expressed hope that this progress in Iran would continue in a positive direction across the country’s stadia.However, women’s rights campaigners, including the group Open Stadiums, have offered a cautious welcome. They note that the numbers allowed remain limited, and structural access issues persist. Activists pointed out that the Mashhad stadium has previously been a flashpoint where women were forcibly prevented from attending a match in 2022. While they acknowledge the symbolic step, they continue to demand that all arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on female spectators be completely lifted for all matches across all cities.
