October 11, 2019 - 10:16 AMT
Female Iranian fans allowed to watch football in stadiums

Iranian female football fans entered the national stadium for the first time in 40 years Thursday, October 10 to watch their side thrash Cambodia 14-0 in Tehran, CNN reports.

Iran's ban on women attending sports stadiums is not written into law but was put in place shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

But following pressure from human rights group and the sport's world governing body FIFA, Iran agreed to permit women to enter the stadium.

The initial allocation of 3,500 tickets for female fans was quickly sold out -- reportedly in under an hour -- before an additional 1,100 were released for the World Cup qualifier.

"This is a very positive step forward, and one which FIFA, and especially Iranian girls and women, have been eagerly waiting for," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

"The passion, joy and enthusiasm they showed today was remarkable to see and encourages us even more to continue the path we have started. History teaches us that progress comes in stages and this is just the beginning of a journey.

"Consequently, FIFA now looks more than ever towards a future when all girls and women wishing to attend football matches in Iran will be free to do so, and in a safe environment. There can be no stopping or turning back now."

Inside the stadium, those present were treated to 14 unanswered goals by the home team as it made light work of 169th ranked Cambodia.