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Five members of the Iranian women's football team have been granted humanitarian visas to Australia following their elimination from the Asian Cup, the government in Canberra says.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the women were "moved to a safe location" by Australian police. He said other members of the team had been told they were welcome to stay in the country.
The women were due to fly home, but supporters had raised fears for their safety after the team refused to sing the national anthem before their match against South Korea last week.
This sparked criticism in Iran, with one conservative commentator accusing the team of being "wartime traitors" and calling for harsh punishment.
Australia's humanitarian visa program provides permanent protection to refugees and people in humanitarian need. Visa holders can live, work and study in the country.
Speaking early Tuesday, Burke said the five players were happy to have their names confirmed as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi.
"They want to be clear that they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe," he said, adding that talks had been ongoing for several days.
He said on Monday "it became clear that there were five women who wanted to stay in Australia".
The group left the hotel that same day and was transported to a safe location by the police.
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