Iranian women entered the country's national stadium in Tehran on Thursday after being able to purchase tickets for a national team game for the first time in 40 years.

Women had been banned from watching men's games since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution, with only a few exceptions made for small groups on rare occasions.

But under pressure from world governing body FIFA and women's rights campaigners, Iranian authorities earmarked around 3,000 tickets for women to attend Thursday's 14-0...

Iranian women have snapped up tickets for Thursday's World Cup qualifier against Cambodia in Tehran after they were released for sale online.

Iranian authorities had assured world governing body FIFA that women would be allowed to attend the game and have set aside sections of the stadium for women.

The semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA said the 3,500 tickets set aside for women sold out within minutes of going on sale on Friday morning.

FIFA...

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said Iranian authorities have "assured" them that women will be able to attend the October World Cup qualifier in Tehran.

A female Iranian fan died earlier this month, after setting herself on fire to protest against her arrest for attending a match.

FIFA officials have been in Iran this week discussing preparations for the Oct. 10 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia, their first home game of the 2022 qualifying competition.

"We need to have women attending --...

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has described Iran's stadium ban for women as "unacceptable," calling on the country to lift restrictions ahead of their next home game.

Attention on the ban intensified when a 29-year-old activist, Sahar Khodayari, died this month after setting herself on fire. She had been detained for dressing as a man to enter a football stadium.

Infantino said in a statement: "Now is the moment to change things and FIFA is expecting positive developments starting in the next...