Iran allows women entry to football stadiums

Women in Iran, who have long been barred from attending football matches except for rare occasions, will be allowed into stadiums during the upcoming season, a top official has said.

“This year, one of the prominent features of this league... is that we will witness the entry of women into stadiums,” Mehdi Taj, head of Iran's Football Federation, said on Sunday.

Taj said some stadiums in the cities of Isfahan, Kerman and Ahvaz - but not the capital Tehran - were ‘ready’ to host women.

He was speaking during a live broadcast of the draw ceremony for the upcoming season of Iran's top level football league. The 16-team tournament is set to begin next month.

Iran has largely barred female spectators from football and other sports stadiums since the Iranian revolution of 1979, despite no law banning their participation.