Iranian women were allowed to enter a stadium in their country for the first time since 1979 to watch a televised World Cup match.
As Iran gave Spain a run for their money during a 0-1 defeat in their second match of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow on Wednesday, female soccer fans were treated to some high-octane football.
For close to four decades, women in Iran were banned from entering stadiums where male athletes play.
Azadi Stadium, Tehran’s largest football stadium, admitted thousands of women together with men for the first time since the the Islamic revolution of 1979 as World Cup fever gripped Iran for their Wednesday evening group game against Spain.
The decision to throw open the gates of the capital’s 100,000 capacity Azadi Stadium for the landmark 10:30 pm (1800 GMT) live screening came with Iran topping Group B after its opening game victory against Morocco on Friday.
Female member of parliament, Tayebeh Siavoshi, who has long campaigned for women to be allowed to watch matches live in stadiums, said she hoped the decision would pave the way for a wider change of policy.
“Once spectators have shown their respect for the rules, we hope it will be possible to screen the Iran-Portugal game in the same stadium (next Monday) and that will mark the start of families attending matches played at the Azadi,” she told the ISNA news agency.
