# Zahra Ghanbari

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Iranian footballer (born 1992)

Zahra Ghanbari Ghanbari with Persepolis in 2025 Personal information Full name Zahra Ghanbari Date of birth (1992-03-04) 4 March 1992 (age 34) Place of birth Kangavar, Kermanshah, Iran Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) Position Forward[1] Team information Current team Persepolis Number 99 Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) Ghaz Al-Shamal SC 2013–2025 Bam Khatoon FC 2020–2021 Vechan Kurdistan [fa] 2025– Persepolis WFC International career‡ 2008 Iran U19 2007– Iran 17 (22) * Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of March 2026

**Zahra Ghanbari** ([Persian](/source/Persian_language): زهرا قنبری;[1] born 4 March 1992) is an Iranian professional [footballer](/source/Women's_association_football) who plays as a [forward](/source/Forward_(association_football)) for the [Kowsar Women Football League](/source/Kowsar_Women_Football_League) club [Persepolis](/source/Persepolis_W.F.C.) and the [Iran national team](/source/Iran_women's_national_football_team). She is Iran's [all-time top goalscorer](/source/List_of_top_international_women's_football_goal_scorers_by_country).

## Early life and education

Zahra Ghanbari[2] was born on 4 March 1992[1] in [Kangavar](/source/Kangavar), [Kermanshah](/source/Kermanshah_Province), Iran.[3][1] Kermanshah is the largest [Kurdish](/source/Kurdish_population)-populated city in Iran and one of the most significant urban centres of [Kurdish culture](/source/Kurdish_culture) in the region,[4] and Ghanbari is Kurdish.[5]

## Club career

Ghanbari has played in Iraq for the [Ghaz Al-Shamal SC](/source/Ghaz_Al-Shamal_SC) women's team (North Gas Sports Club) team in [Kirkuk](/source/Kirkuk), which plays in the [Iraqi Women's Football League](/source/Iraqi_Women's_Football_League).[1]

In Iran, she has played for [Bam Khatoon F.C.](/source/Bam_Khatoon_F.C.) (formerly known as Shahrdari Bam) since at least 2013. She played for [Vechan Kurdistan](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vechan_Kurdistan&action=edit&redlink=1) [[fa](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87_%D9%81%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84_%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86_%D9%88%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%86)] in 2020/2021.[6][5]

Ghanbari played for Bam Khatoon in the [2023 AFC Women's Club Championship](/source/2023_AFC_Women's_Club_Championship) and the [2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League](/source/2024%E2%80%9325_AFC_Women's_Champions_League), scoring one goal in the latter tournament.[2] In November 2024, Ghanbari was briefly suspended by the [Iranian federation](/source/Football_Federation_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran) and forced to apologise for "improper hijab" during a goal celebration at the 2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League. After being forced to apologise, she was allowed to return to the team.[7][8]

She moved to [Persepolis](/source/Persepolis_W.F.C.) in 2025.[8]

## International career

Ghanbari is [Iran's national team](/source/Iran_women's_national_football_team)'s [all-time top goalscorer](/source/List_of_top_international_women's_football_goal_scorers_by_country).[9][8]

She played for the international team in the following tournaments (number of goals in parentheses):[2]

- [AFC Women's Asian Cup](/source/AFC_Women's_Asian_Cup) 2008 (1), 2018 (6), 2022 (0)

- [AFC U-19 Women's Championship 2009](/source/2009_AFC_U-19_Women's_Championship) (2)

- [Women's Olympic Football Tournament](/source/Women's_Olympic_Football_Tournament) 2020 (6)

- [AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament](/source/AFC_Women's_Olympic_Qualifying_Tournament) 2024 (0)

- [AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026](/source/2026_AFC_Women's_Asian_Cup)

On 9 March 2026, after the national team was eliminated from the [2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup](/source/2026_AFC_Women's_Asian_Cup) in Australia, Ghanbari (who played in all three games[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]), along with four teammates from the Iranian women's national football team, [left the team's training camp](/source/Defection_of_Iran_women's_national_football_team) in Australia and sought asylum. This was due to concerns about possible retaliation from Iranian authorities after the team had refrained from singing the national anthem after the opening game, which was shortly after the start of the [2026 Iran war](/source/2026_Iran_war).[10] The [Australian Government](/source/Australian_Government) granted humanitarian visas to the players.[8] On 15 March, Iranian state media reported that Ghanbari had withdrawn her asylum application and would return to Iran via Malaysia.[11]

Ghanbari was one of a number of Iranians to have their assets seized by the [Iranian Government](/source/Iranian_Government), but they were released by a court decision around 12 April 2026, based on her "change in behaviour".[12]

## Career statistics

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No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 4 October 2011 Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE Lebanon 8–1 8–1 2011 WAFF Women's Championship 2. 5 April 2017 Vietnam YFT Center, Hanoi, Vietnam Singapore 1–0 6–0 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification 3. 9 April 2017 Vietnam 1–0 1–6 4. 11 April 2017 Syria 1–0 12–0 5. 5–0 6. 9–0 7. 11–0 8. 8 November 2018 Institute of Physical Education Stadium, Chonburi, Thailand Lebanon 2–0 8–0 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 9. 4–0 10. 6–0 11. 25 November 2018 Milliy Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Afghanistan 1–0 6–0 2018 CAFA Women's Championship 12. 3–0 13. 6 April 2019 Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar Palestine 7–0 9–0 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 14. 8–0 15. 9 April 2019 Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar Chinese Taipei 1–4 1–4 16. 15 November 2022 Ararat Stadium, Tehran, Iran Belarus 1–0 1–1 Friendly 17. 10 June 2025 National Football Center Field 2, Tehran, Iran Iraq 3–0 8–0 18. 5–0 19. ?–0 20. 10 July 2025 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan Singapore 4–0 4–0 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification 21. 13 July 2025 Bhutan 5–1 7–1 22. 24 October 2025 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, India Nepal 2–0 3–0 Friendly

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FD_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FD_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FD_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FD_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FD_1-4) ["زهرا قنبری"](https://web.archive.org/web/20260209023915/https://footballdokht.ir/player/1-%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%82%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%B1%DB%8C.html) (in Persian). Archived from [the original](https://footballdokht.ir/player/1-%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%82%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%B1%DB%8C.html) on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 29 June 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-afc_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-afc_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-afc_2-2) ["Zahra Ghanbari"](https://stats.the-afc.com/player/29814). *[Asian Football Confederation](/source/Asian_Football_Confederation)*. Retrieved 11 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GSA_3-0)** ["Zahra Ghanbari"](https://globalsportsarchive.com/en/soccer/athlete/zahra-ghanbari/176090). *Global Sports Archive*. Retrieved 29 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Pourhassan, Narges; Bagherabadi, Rahim (2019). "Representation of Iranian National Identity Among Kermanshah's Kurdish Intellectuals". *National Studies Journal*. **20** (4): 3–18.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-isna_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-isna_5-1) ["می خواهم دَینم را به کُردها ادا کنم (I want to give my faith to the Kurds)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200928164442/https://www.isna.ir/news/99061611402/%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86%D9%85-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7-%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%85). *[Iranian Students' News Agency](/source/Iranian_Students'_News_Agency)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.isna.ir/news/99061611402/%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86%D9%85-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7-%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%85) on 28 September 2020. ...the captain of the Iranian women's national football team, joined the Kurdistan team with a one-year contract ...The conditions of other clubs were better than the team and the Sanandaj team, but because I am Kurdish myself,... (via Firefox translator)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["حضور برترین گلزن لیگ در تیم فوتبال وچان (The presence of the league's top scorer in the football team of Wechan)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240404172441/https://borna.news/fa/news/1052212/%D8%AD%D8%B6%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%86-%D9%84%DB%8C%DA%AF-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%88%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%86). *Borna News Agency*. Archived from [the original](https://borna.news/fa/news/1052212/%D8%AD%D8%B6%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%86-%D9%84%DB%8C%DA%AF-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%88%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%86) on 4 April 2024. Zahra Ghanbari, the Kermanshahi striker of the municipality of Bam, last season's champion of the Premier League and the record of women's football scoring, will sign a one-year contract with the representative of Kurdistan this season. This is while there was some whispers of Ghanbari joining Sirjan Municipality, but this morning, the news of the player's agreement with Vachan Sanandaj was officially announced. (via Firefox translator)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Iranian Footballer Suspended and Forced to Apologize for Headscarf Mishap"](https://iranwire.com/en/women/135648-iranian-footballer-suspended-and-forced-to-apologize-for-headscarf-mishap/). *[IranWire](/source/IranWire)*. 1 November 2024. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20251025012907/https://iranwire.com/en/women/135648-iranian-footballer-suspended-and-forced-to-apologize-for-headscarf-mishap/) from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-healy2026_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-healy2026_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-healy2026_8-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-healy2026_8-3) Healy, Jon (10 March 2026). ["Who are the Iranian Women's Asian Cup players granted asylum by Australia?"](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-10/who-are-the-iranian-players-granted-asylum-after-asian-cup/106435656). *[ABC News](/source/ABC_News_(Australia))*. Retrieved 11 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** @afcasiancup; (26 December 2021). ["1️⃣3️⃣ x ⚽️ Zahra Ghanbari is 🇮🇷 Team Melli Baanovaan's highest goal-scorer 🔥"](https://www.instagram.com/afcasiancup/p/CX8qcC5s5y9/) – via [Instagram](/source/Instagram).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Australia urged to offer Iran women's team refuge amid fears of backlash after refusing to sing anthem"](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/03/09/australia-urged-to-offer-iran-womens-team-refuge-amid-fears-of-backlash-after-refusing-to-sing-anthem/). *The National*. Retrieved 9 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Iran women's football captain withdraws Australia asylum bid: state media"](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260315-iran-women-s-football-captain-withdraws-australia-asylum-bid-state-media). *France 24*. Retrieved 15 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Iran releases assets of football captain in Australia asylum row"](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260413-iran-releases-assets-of-football-captain-in-australia-asylum-row). *France 24*. 13 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

## External links

Wikinews has related news:

- [Australia grants refuge to five Iranian women's national soccer team players](https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Australia_grants_refuge_to_five_Iranian_women%27s_national_soccer_team_players)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Zahra Ghanbari](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Zahra_Ghanbari).

- [Zahra Ghanbari](https://int.soccerway.com/players/-/479249/) at Soccerway

v t e Iran squad – 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup 1 Yazdani 2 Imani 3 Ramezanizadeh 4 Motevalli 5 Ahmadizadeh 6 Sarbali 7 Chatrenoor 8 Beheshti 9 Ghanbari (c) 10 Pasandideh 11 Dini 12 Yektaei 13 Amineh 14 Makhdoomi 15 Zolfi 16 Shaban 17 Jafarizadeh 18 Sadeghi 19 Tamrian 20 Didar 21 Khosravi 22 Khajavi 23 Hamoudi 24 Anbari 25 Pourheidar 26 Taherkhani Coach: Jafari

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zahra Ghanbari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Ghanbari) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Ghanbari?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.