San Francisco: Iran’s World Cup involvement has again been overshadowed by off-field events, with their coach saying they’ve been subjected to the “worst conditions possible” and the country’s lead negotiator in peace talks with the US referencing the team in a social media post.
On the field, Iran remains undefeated after holding Belgium to a 0-0 draw at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the same venue where they drew 2-2 with New Zealand in their opening game. They will advance to the knockout stages if they beat Egypt in their final Group G game.
National team coach Amir Ghalenoei said his side’s unbeaten start would go down in history given the ordeal they have endured to play in the US, including war-related disruptions, relocation, and limited preparation.
“I want to go back six months,” he told reporters. “We were in war conditions for six months; we didn’t have our league operating. Many teams cancelled the games they would play against us. We came to the World Cup in the worst conditions possible.”
“Playing without a loss in two games is a great achievement. It will be written in our footballing history. I don’t think any team in the world could have sustained such conditions and play like this.”
Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves in the scoreless draw with the heavily favoured Belgium, and even his heroics became politicised, with some Iranian media sharing his image blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
And Iran’s lead negotiator in Switzerland, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, posted a photo of one dramatic save on X with the statement: “This is how we protect our land.”
Iranian attacker Alireza Jahanbakhsh said after the match that he doesn’t want to keep focusing on the challenging situation and that players are now focused on recovery and preparing to travel to Seattle for the game against Egypt. He said he hopes the team can head there as soon as possible to allow them time to adapt.
“We don’t ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other 47 teams,” he said. “Hopefully, we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us.”
Iran was one of the first nations to qualify for the World Cup, securing their spot in March 2025. But their involvement was thrown into chaos when the US began a war on the country on February 28.
The team was forced to relocate its training base from Arizona to Mexico, and has been ordered to leave Los Angeles right after both matches. Iran is a possible opponent against Australia in the round of 32 – should both teams progress. If the Socceroos finish second, they will play the runners-up in Group G – which also includes New Zealand.
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Nick Ralston is the deputy editor and investigations editor for The Sydney Morning Herald. He has previously spent time as news editor, justice editor and world editor.Connect via X or email.
