Twenty-eight thousand fans, one sold-out stadium, and a match that could not be more one-sided on paper. Australia have beaten Iran twice, scored four goals, and conceded none across both meetings.
Yet here comes Marziyeh Jafari’s young, fearless squad to Gold Coast Stadium on March 5, 2026, ready to face the Matildas in front of a crowd that will roar for the home side from the first whistle. Joe Montemurro wants nine points from three games. Iran wants their first goal of the tournament. Someone leaves disappointed.
Match Details
The second Group A fixture for Australia in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 takes place at one of Queensland’s finest football grounds.
Here is everything you need to know before kick-off on Thursday night.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | IR Iran vs Australia |
| Tournament | AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 |
| Date | Thursday, 5 March 2026 |
| Kick-off | 7:00 PM AEST |
| Fan Zone Open | 5:00 PM |
| Gates Open | 5:30 PM |
| Venue | Gold Coast Stadium (Cbus Super Stadium), Gold Coast |
| Group | Group A |
Both teams come into this fixture after very different opening matches, and the gap in results sets up an interesting dynamic for the night.
Head to Head
Australia and Iran have only met twice in women’s internationals, with both meetings going heavily in Australia’s favour. The most recent game in Perth in October 2023 ended 2-0 to Australia, with Ellie Carpenter and Sam Kerr scoring the goals during the Olympic Qualifiers.
Iran has never scored against Australia in women’s football and has conceded two goals across their two meetings. Thursday marks Iran’s first chance to change that record on Australian soil in front of a packed home crowd.
The head-to-head record is listed below for quick reference before the match gets underway.
| Stat | Australia | IR Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 2 | 2 |
| Wins | 2 | 0 |
| Goals Scored | 4 | 0 |
| Goals Conceded | 0 | 4 |
| Last Meeting | Australia 2-0 Iran (Oct 2023) | Lost 0-2 |
Australia have kept a clean sheet in both previous meetings, which adds another layer of pressure on Iran’s attack to produce something different this time.
Squads
Both teams named their squads before the tournament began. Australia made two late changes, with Teagan Micah withdrawing due to concussion and Jada Mathyssen-Whyman pulling out through injury, replaced by Chloe Lincoln and Morgan Aquino, respectively.
Iran announced their 25-player squad on 18 February 2026, with Behnaz Taherkhani added on 25 February. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross both missed Australia’s first match but are back in training ahead of this game.
Below are the full squads for both teams at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.
Australia Squad (Head Coach: Joe Montemurro)
| No. | Pos. | Player | Age | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Mackenzie Arnold | 32 | 61 | 0 | Portland Thorns |
| 2 | DF | Courtney Nevin | 24 | 40 | 1 | Malmö |
| 3 | DF | Wini Heatley | 24 | 13 | 0 | Roma |
| 4 | DF | Clare Hunt | 26 | 39 | 1 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 5 | DF | Jamilla Rankin | 22 | 7 | 0 | TSG Hoffenheim |
| 6 | MF | Clare Wheeler | 28 | 34 | 2 | Everton |
| 7 | DF | Steph Catley | 32 | 141 | 7 | Arsenal |
| 8 | MF | Kaitlyn Torpey | 25 | 21 | 2 | Newcastle United |
| 9 | FW | Caitlin Foord | 31 | 140 | 39 | Arsenal |
| 10 | MF | Emily van Egmond | 32 | 165 | 32 | Leicester City |
| 11 | FW | Mary Fowler | 23 | 63 | 16 | Manchester City |
| 12 | GK | Chloe Lincoln | 21 | 3 | 0 | Brisbane Roar |
| 13 | MF | Alex Chidiac | 27 | 37 | 2 | Como |
| 14 | DF | Alanna Kennedy | 31 | 142 | 12 | London City Lionesses |
| 15 | FW | Kahli Johnson | 22 | 3 | 1 | Calgary Wild |
| 16 | FW | Hayley Raso | 31 | 103 | 24 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 17 | MF | Amy Sayer | 24 | 19 | 4 | Malmö |
| 18 | GK | Morgan Aquino | 24 | 0 | 0 | DC Power |
| 19 | DF | Katrina Gorry | 33 | 118 | 18 | West Ham United |
| 20 | FW | Sam Kerr | 32 | 131 | 69 | Chelsea |
| 21 | DF | Ellie Carpenter | 25 | 93 | 5 | Chelsea |
| 22 | FW | Michelle Heyman | 37 | 85 | 33 | Canberra United |
| 23 | MF | Kyra Cooney-Cross | 24 | 63 | 2 | Arsenal |
| 24 | DF | Charlize Rule | 23 | 1 | 0 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 25 | FW | Holly McNamara | 23 | 16 | 1 | Melbourne City |
| 26 | FW | Remy Siemsen | 26 | 14 | 0 | Rosengård |
IR Iran Squad (Head Coach: Marziyeh Jafari)
| No. | Pos. | Player | Age | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Raha Yazdani | 38 | Bam Khatoon |
| 2 | DF | Atefeh Imani | 29 | Palayesh Gaz Ilam |
| 3 | DF | Atefeh Ramezanizadeh | 33 | Bam Khatoon |
| 4 | DF | Melika Molevalli | 27 | Bam Khatoon |
| 5 | DF | Zahra Ahmadizadeh | 28 | Persepolis |
| 6 | MF | Zahra Sarbali | 32 | Gol Gohar Sirjan |
| 7 | FW | Afsaneh Chatrenoor | 27 | Gol Gohar Sirjan |
| 8 | MF | Shabnam Beheshti | 27 | Gol Gohar Sirjan |
| 9 | FW | Zahra Ghanbari | 33 | Persepolis |
| 10 | MF | Fatemeh Pasandideh | 21 | Bam Khatoon |
| 11 | FW | Maryam Dini | 18 | Bam Khatoon |
| 12 | GK | Maryam Yektaei | 32 | Energa Stomilanki Olsztyn |
| 13 | DF | Fatemeh Amineh | 28 | Bam Khatoon |
| 14 | DF | Fatemeh Makhdoomi | 25 | Sangin Mashin Ista |
| 15 | MF | Mohaddeseh Zolfi | 21 | Sangin Mashin Ista |
| 16 | MF | Fatemeh Shaban | 23 | Sangin Mashin Ista |
| 17 | DF | Shahnaz Jafarizadeh | 31 | Bam Khatoon |
| 18 | DF | Sana Sadeghi | 25 | Persepolis |
| 19 | FW | Roujin Tamrian | 20 | Bam Khatoon |
| 20 | FW | Sara Didar | 21 | Bam Khatoon |
| 21 | FW | Golnoosh Khosravi | 24 | Gol Gohar Sirjan |
| 22 | GK | Zahra Khajavi | 27 | Persepolis |
| 23 | MF | Mona Hamoudi | 32 | Bam Khatoon |
| 24 | DF | Kosar Anbari | 31 | Palayesh Gaz Ilam |
| 25 | DF | Zahra Pourheidar | 31 | Malavan |
| 26 | DF | Behnaz Taherkhani | 30 | Malavan |
Key Players to Watch
These are the players from both sides who carry the most influence heading into Thursday’s match at Gold Coast Stadium.
Australia
Sam Kerr (FW)
BATTER equivalent stats as a forward: 69 goals in 131 internationals, directly involved in 6 goals across her last 4 matches when Mary Fowler has featured alongside her
Sam Kerr is the most important attacker Australia has. She scored in both previous meetings with Iran, and her partnership with Mary Fowler has produced results at every level. Montemurro wants more goals in this match, and Kerr will be the one leading that charge from the front.
Mary Fowler (FW)
2 goals and 1 assist across the last 4 matches when Sam Kerr has been on the pitch alongside her, 16 goals in 63 internationals overall
Fowler is young, fast, and at her best when she has Kerr ahead of her to feed off. She adds creativity and unpredictability to Australia’s attacking line and will be a constant problem for Iran’s defence throughout the match.
Ellie Carpenter (DF)
97% passing accuracy on 58 passes in the opening match, highest of any player to attempt at least 10 passes in Group A on Matchday 1
Carpenter scored against Iran in the 2023 qualifiers and was the most precise passer in Group A’s opening round. She covers massive ground from right back, pushes high into attack, and brings both defensive solidity and attacking output in every game.
IR Iran
Sara Didar (FW)
21 years old, plays for Bam Khatoon, one of Iran’s most creative forwards, heading into the tournament
Sara Didar is 21 years old and plays for Bam Khatoon. She spoke openly before the match about how much she wants to earn good experience from facing Australia’s players, including Sam Kerr. She brings energy and directness to Iran’s attack and is likely to be Iran’s main threat going forward on Thursday night.
Afsaneh Chatrenoor (FW)
Plays for Gol Gohar Sirjan, one of Iran’s most experienced forwards in the current squad at this level
Chatrenoor gives Iran pace and directness from the wide areas. With Iran yet to score at this tournament, she will be one of the players Iran’s coach Marziyeh Jafari looks to produce something different against a well-organised Australian defence.
Venue: Gold Coast Stadium
Gold Coast Stadium, also known as Cbus Super Stadium, sits in Robina, Queensland. The ground holds 28,000 spectators and a sell-out crowd is expected for Thursday night’s match.
The stadium already hosted Iran’s opening loss to the Republic, so the surface and conditions are familiar to both teams. The fan zone opens at 5:00 PM, gates open at 5:30 PM, and kick-off is at 7:00 PM AEST.
| Venue Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Stadium Name | Gold Coast Stadium (Cbus Super Stadium) |
| Location | Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland |
| Capacity | 28,000 |
| Fan Zone Opens | 5:00 PM AEST |
| Gates Open | 5:30 PM AEST |
| Kick-off | 7:00 PM AEST |
The ground’s atmosphere for evening fixtures under lights is one of the best in Queensland, and a full house will add real intensity to what is already a one-sided fixture on paper.
How to Watch
Fans in Australia and around the world have several ways to catch this match live. Network 10 will show every Matildas game on free-to-air television. Paramount+ streams every match of the tournament, including all non-Matildas fixtures.
ABC Sport and ABC Listen will carry live audio coverage of the match as part of Football Australia’s broadcast partnership with the ABC, covering a minimum of 17 matches from the tournament.
The table below covers all major broadcast options by region.
| Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Australia (TV) | Network 10 |
| Australia (Stream) | Paramount+ / 10 Play |
| Australia (Radio) | ABC Sport and ABC Listen |
| India | FanCode |
| Japan | DAZN |
| Korea Republic | Coupang Play |
| China PR | iQIYI |
| Middle East | Bein Sports and Alkass |
| UK and Europe | OneFootball / Sportklub / ArenaSport |
| Americas | Star+ / ESPN |
| Africa | Bein Sports, AzamTV |
| Oceania | PacificAusTV |
| Global (free) | AFC Asian Cup YouTube Channel |
The AFC Asian Cup YouTube Channel will also stream the match for fans in regions not covered by the above broadcasters.
Tickets
Tickets for IR Iran vs Australia at Gold Coast Stadium are available through Ticketmaster. The price range runs from $25 minimum to $125 maximum per ticket, with 32 options listed across standard and accessible seating. A handling fee of $5.95 per transaction applies, and a delivery fee may apply depending on the delivery method you choose.
The ticket categories available for this match are listed below before you head to the booking page.
| Ticket Category | Type |
|---|---|
| Adult | Standard |
| Restricted View | Standard |
| Adult – Alcohol Free | Standard |
| Adult – Team IR Iran Zone | Standard |
| Adult – Team Australia Zone | Standard |
| Junior 4-16 Years | Standard |
| Junior – Alcohol Free | Standard |
| Junior – Team IR Iran Zone | Standard |
| Junior – Team Australia Zone | Standard |
| Concession | Standard |
| Concession – Alcohol Free | Standard |
| Concession – Team IR Iran Zone | Standard |
| Concession – Team Australia Zone | Standard |
| Adult – Accessible Seating | Accessible |
| Junior – Accessible Seating | Accessible |
| Concession – Accessible Seating | Accessible |
| Companion Card (Essential Companion) | Accessible |
Tickets are selling fast with a sell-out crowd expected. Book as early as possible to secure your preferred section at Gold Coast Stadium for Thursday night.
Conclusion: Gold Coast Decides Australia’s Group Destiny
Australia enters this match as heavy favourites, and the pressure is entirely on them to deliver a big performance. Iran is young, motivated, and playing in front of a crowd that includes their own supporters. Australia wants goals, clean sheets, and momentum heading into the final group game.
Iran wwantstheir first goal of the tournament and proof that they belong at this level. Whatever happens on Thursday night at Gold Coast Stadium, this match matters for both sides.
