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Iranian women’s soccer team refuses to sing national anthem at Asian Cup

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The Iranian women’s national soccer team made quite the statement on Monday night during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup, as they refused to sing while their national anthem played over the speakers at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. 

The players were in their customary line before their match against South Korea, when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, looking straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as it appeared there were jeers from the crowd. Later, applause erupted from those in attendance following the 3-0 South Korea victory.

Iran’s manager, Marziyeh Jafari, was also seen smiling as she looked upon her players’ silence from the sidelines. 

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Team Iran listen to national anthem

Team Iran listen national anthems before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between South Korea and Iran in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026.  (Izhar Khan / AFP)

This silence is particularly deafening following the confirmed U.S.-Israeli strikes over the weekend that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since counterattacked by firing missiles and drones at Israel and regional countries that host U.S. allies or military bases, including Bahrain and Qatar. 

During questioning by media on Sunday, Iran women’s national team captain Zahra Ghanbari, alongside Jafari, was asked about Khamenei’s death. The question was shot down quickly. 

Jafari answered in Farsi, but an AFC media representative cut off her response without any translation, according to ESPN. 

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“OK, I think that’s all for your question. Thank you for asking. Let’s just focus on the game itself,” the media rep said before questioning continued. 

While the content of Jafari’s response remains unknown, the team’s stoic nature during the national anthem, which is usually met by at least some players singing, says enough. 

The U.S. and Israel’s massive joint military operation, known as “Operation Epic Fury,” left many of Iran’s major leaders dead, including Khamenei. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday against any Iranian retaliation, saying if Iran were to “hit very hard,” they would be met with “a force that has never been seen before.”

The attacks have impacted the sports world as well as the rest of the country; the football federation’s president shared a bleak outlook about playing in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Iran has already qualified for the tournament and is set to face New Zealand in Los Angeles in June to kick off its Group G schedule.

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Atefeh Ramezanizadeh peace sign

 of Islamic Republic of Iran walks out for the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Korea Republic v Islamic Republic of Iran at Gold Coast Stadium on March 2, 2026 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Albert Perez/Getty Images)

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” football president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday. 

“The US regime has attacked our homeland, and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”

FIFA also noted it will be monitoring the situation with Iran. 

Iran’s national team will not be preparing for the World Cup at this time, as a 40-day mourning period following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in effect. However, the women’s national team was allowed to compete in the Asian Cup.

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Elsewhere in the sports world, Fox News Digital learned that Israel’s national gymnastics team suspended all training and team activities amid the counterattack, with the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) providing a statement announcing that the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”

The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read.

Team Iran takes photo

Team Iran poses for a group photo before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match against South Korea in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026. (Izhar Khan / AFP)

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A source within the team also told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began. 

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Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday, when a missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem in Beit Shemesh. 

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Iheanacho Shines as Celtic Reach Scottish Cup Final After Extra-Time Win

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Martin O’Neill praised Kelechi Iheanacho after Celtic fought back to beat St. Mirren 6-2 after extra time and reach the Scottish Cup final.

Celtic looked in full control early in the match at Hampden Park, taking a 2-0 lead through Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston.

However, St. Mirren responded in the second half as Mikael Mandron scored to reduce the gap. He then struck again in stoppage time to make it 2-2 and force extra time.

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Celtic took charge in the added 30 minutes, scoring four more goals to seal a 6-2 victory. Iheanacho was the star, scoring twice, while Luke McGowan and Benjamin Nygren also found the net.

After the match, O’Neill praised the Nigerian forward for his impact.

“Kelechi has had a great career,” he said. “He has had injury problems, but he looks sharp and wants to do well. I have praised him a lot in the dressing room.”

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Celtic will now face Dunfermline Athletic in next month’s final.

The game will see O’Neill come up against Neil Lennon, his former player, in a repeat of the 2007 final which Dunfermline lost 1-0.

O’Neill said Iheanacho’s goal in extra time changed the game.

“We found something in extra time, and his goal gave us belief again,” he added.

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Celtic’s strong finish ensured they moved into the final in style after an exciting eight-goal match.

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WrestleMania 42: Iyo Sky helps Rhea Ripley win WWE women’s title over Jade Cargill

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Rhea Ripley’s path back to the top of the women’s division was a long one, but on Sunday night, she survived the storm and recaptured the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42.

Ripley won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match back in February to earn a shot at a title. She chose to set her sights on Jade Cargill’s championship. What transpired next was a war of words between the two goddess-like figures in the pro wrestling industry.

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Rhea Ripley standing in the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas

Rhea Ripley is introduced before the WWE Women’s Championship match against Jade Cargill during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Cargill vowed to bring the disrespect to Ripley, even turning B-Fab and Michin against Ripley in the process. The match at WrestleMania was supposed to be a one-on-one match, but Michin and B-Fab got involved in the action.

Cargill had the advantage for most of the match. And just as the referee was going to throw Michin and B-Fab out, Iyo Sky came to the rescue. She hit a springboard moonsault on B-Fab and Michin.

‘DEMON’ FINN BALOR SETTLES SCORE WITH DOMINIK MYSTERIO AT WRESTLEMANIA 42

Jade Cargill standing in the ring before WWE Women's Championship match at Allegiant Stadium

Jade Cargill is introduced before the WWE Women’s Championship match against Rhea Ripley during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Ripley hit Cargill with a headbutt and a Riptide. But she couldn’t get the pin on Cargill.

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Cargill hit Ripley with a boot, but it was almost to no avail. Ripley countered Cargill’s finisher, put her in the Riptide and pinned her for the win.

It marks the first WrestleMania loss for Cargill since she joined WWE.

Rhea Ripley standing in the ring at Allegiant Stadium

Rhea Ripley is introduced before the WWE Women’s Championship match against Jade Cargill during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Ripley is now a two-time holder of the WWE Women’s Championship and a four-time women’s champion overall. Her last reign started on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 when she defeated Asuka in Tampa, Florida.

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Hardik Pandya Grilled By Ex KKR Star: “When Was Your Last Match-Winning Knock?”

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Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya hasn’t had much going his way in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. While MI are languishing at the bottom of the 10-team points table, Hardik hasn’t been able to create much impact on the field, be it with the bat or with the ball. The all-rounder has even had his captaincy skills questioned, including his inability to get the best out of Jasprit Bumrah, the finest fast bowler in the world. Ahead of MI’s clash against GT, former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Aakash Chopra has asked Hardik when his last match-winning knock was for MI.

Hardik, widely considered as India’s most prominent pace-bowling all-rounder, has struggled this season. He has only scored 81 runs in 4 matches this campaign for Mumbai. Chopra, in a video on his YouTube channel, has asked some tough questions to the MI skipper.

“You have corrected the batting order now. I won’t talk about Surya because he played many match-winning knocks last time, but Hardik, I don’t remember when the last match-winning knock you played was. We have seen many good cameos, but that match-winning 70 or 80 runs where you win the match alone, Hardik is capable of that,” Chopra said.

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The former India opener also feels Mumbai need some fresh ideas to bring their campaign back on track. Chopra backed the promotion of Sherfane Rutherford to help MI overcome the current middle-order crisis.

“If you get less than that repeatedly, you think this is the time when Hardik does what he can do, because you are capable of doing that. They need fresh ideas and freshness, a little fearless approach, and Sherfane Rutherford should bat slightly up the order. All of that is required because the truth is that the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians, are at No. 10 at this point in time,” he added.

At present, MI are placed 10th in the points table with just one win in 5 matches.


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Liv Morgan addresses Dominik Mysterio after his loss at WrestleMania 42

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Liv Morgan has addressed Dominik Mysterio’s loss to Finn Balor at WrestleMania 42. While Morgan was victorious against Stephanie Vaquer in Night 1, his Daddy Dom failed to beat Demon Finn.

The reigning AAA Mega Champion appeared confident ahead of his Street Fight against his former Judgment Day stablemate. However, The Demon had a different aura and energy that got Dirty Dom scrambling at the start.

Dominik Mysterio had several chances of getting the win over Finn Balor, but The Demon was on another level on Sunday night. He hit a devastating Shotgun Dropkick to Dominik while a chair was around his neck before putting him away with a Coup de Grace through a table.

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In a post on Instagram, Liv Morgan seemingly doesn’t care about the outcome of Dirty Dom’s match.

“Always a winner in my eyes 🫶✨ @dominik_35,” Morgan wrote.

It will be interesting to see what’s next for Dominik and Liv for Monday’s post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. Liv is expected to celebrate her championship win, but Dominik and JD McDonagh were unsuccessful in their respective WrestleMania matches.

McDonagh failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship in the Six-Pack Ladder Match on Sunday.


Why did WWE make Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor match a Street Fight?

The initial match between Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor at WrestleMania 42 was just a singles match. A week later, WWE announced that Balor will be using The Demon in the match, marking the return of his alter ego after nearly three years.

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Fast forward to Sunday, and WWE made another change to the match, making it a Street Fight. According to Fightful Select, the company decided to add a stipulation due to the number of singles matches on the card.

“Fightful Select has learned that the street fight stipulation was added to Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio within the last week due to the number of singles matches on the Wrestlemania 42 card,” the report said.

There were six matches on Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, five of which were one-on-one matches. Three of the five were title matches, while the opener was Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi, so adding a stipulation to a heated rivalry like Dominik vs. Finn wasn’t too complicated to make.