Iran’s hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout phase for the first time came to an agonizing end on Saturday after Austria’s last-gasp equalizer against Algeria left them outside the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams.
Amir Ghalenoei’s side completed their Group G campaign on Friday with a 1-1 draw against Egypt, leaving them waiting to discover whether three points would be enough to earn a spot in the round of 32.
Iran had already endured one major setback when a stoppage-time winner against Egypt was ruled out for offside.
That left them needing other results in group-stage matches to go their way, and for a few minutes on Saturday, it looked as if Iran were going to squeeze through when Algeria struck in stoppage time to lead Austria 3-2.
However, the Austrians equalized with almost the final kick of the game, salvaging a 3-3 draw that sent both teams through and denied Iran a place in the knockouts in their seventh World Cup appearance.
Iran leaves the tournament unbeaten after draws with Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt, despite a challenging campaign due to off-field issues.
Iran team questions if it is ‘truly welcome’ at World Cup
Uncertainty over visas and Iran’s conflict with the US meant the team had to commute from their tournament base in co-host Mexico to the United States for their three group games.
US authorities required them to enter within 24 hours of a match and leave the same day, though the restrictions were slightly eased for their final game in Seattle, where they were allowed to arrive two days before the game.
US President Donald Trump had said in March that Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup, but he did not believe it was appropriate for them to be in the United States “for their own life and safety.”
After the draw with Egypt, Iran’s team captain Mehdi Taremi described the situation as a logistical “disaster” and questioned whether his team was truly welcome at the tournament.
“Who wants to help us?” Taremi told reporters. “If they want us to be out – OK, let’s be out. But that’s not fair.”
Key members of the delegation had been unable to join the squad in the US, and Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team was being “oppressed”.
Ultimately, Iran’s campaign came down to moments.
Had Taremi scored a first-half penalty against Egypt, or had his header hit the net instead of the crossbar later on, Iran might have been looking forward to a knockout match for the first time.
