Apart from a few token groups at three international matches, women have largely been banned from matches since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The tickets for Thursday’s Iran-Cambodia match sold out within minutes, even after authorities quadrupled the number on sale. Those lucky enough to get tickets included a sports reporter who said she was shaking with excitement. It was still a meagre provision, accounting for less than 5% of seats in the 78,000-capacity Azadi (“Freedom”) stadium. Footage of the match showed the male stands were mostly empty.
