World Cup 2026: Iran unlucky losers after missing out on last 32

That Iran came as close as they did to progressing remarkable in itself given the unique hurdles they have had to overcome.

Iran have been competing at the World Cup against the backdrop of the country’s conflict with the United States and Israel.

Their World Cup training base was switched from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico before the tournament began, and they faced travel restrictions throughout.

Iran were only permitted to enter the United States the day before their first two matches and had to leave again on the same day as the game, under the terms of their visas.

Subsequently, Ghalenoei described his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.

He said the squad had been “robbed” of preparation time and given “less than half” the training window it needed, while other teams had enjoyed normal conditions.

Those travel restrictions were eased for the game in Seattle, allowing them to arrive two days early, but they had to return to Tijuana after the match.

After the match, Ghalenoei again expressed his frustration: “To my players and the team, I want to say to them I’m proud of them.

“What these young people, these players have done, it should be written in history because the host country treated us very unfairly.

“Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team.

“I urge Fifa: don’t let hosts treat players and teams the same way in future World Cups.”