Iran, who played their three group-stage matches at World Cup 2026, now face a wait to know if they will reach last 32.By ReutersPublished On 27 Jun 202627 Jun 2026The emotions were still raw for Iran players and their coach long after the final whistle of the team’s 1-1 draw against Egypt in their group-stage finale at Seattle Stadium on Friday night.Seeking to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their World Cup history, Iran were left to wait out the results of Saturday’s matches following a third-place finish in Group G.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listIt appeared “The Melli” had solidified their place in the round of 32 with a stoppage-time goal, only to have a VAR review disallow Shojae Khalilzadeh’s goal by a marginal offside call.It continued a turbulent World Cup experience for Iran, who moved their training camp base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. They also have faced logistical issues travelling back and forth to the United States for their three group matches.Iran are in a strong position to claim one of the eight third-place spots in the round of 32, but coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team has been treated “very unfairly” while urging FIFA President Gianni Infantino to “stand up” to the co-host United States.“It was the host that wasn’t very good to us,” Ghalenoei said after Friday’s match. “I urge FIFA to not let the hosts treat teams and players the same way in the future. I hope Mr Infantino will actually stand up to such behaviour.”Friday’s match took place against the backdrop of Seattle’s annual PrideFest, with the city’s host committee unofficially declaring June 26 the “Pride Match” before December’s draw pitted Egypt against Iran. Advertisement Although no official Pride activities were seen at FIFA’s fan festival or inside the stadium, se …
