- While it is not the first time women have attended football matches in Iran, it is the first time they have been allowed to buy tickets.
- On previous occasions, attendees have been handpicked by the authorities.
Waving flags and snapping selfies, thousands of Iranian women on Thursday attended a football match freely for the first time in decades, after Fifa threatened to suspend the country over its controversial stadium restrictions.
Elated female fans wore the national green, white and red flag around their shoulders and over their hair as they streamed into a tiny section of Tehran’s 100,000-capacity Azadi Stadium for Iran’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia.
Some donned sporty hats over their headscarves, while others painted their faces with the colours of the flag.
Their beaming smiles underscored a day that felt victorious for Iranian women, even before the match began.
And with every goal the Iranian team scored, the cheers in the women’s section grew louder.
