Heightened emotions in Iran after Team Melli knocked out of World Cup

Iran's national football team, Team Melli, once again failed to reach the knockout phase of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Egypt in Seattle on Friday left them third in Group G with three points from three draws. They were eliminated a day later when other results denied them a spot among the eight best third-placed teams, a new rule after FIFA expanded to 48 teams.

Head coach Amir Ghalenoei said after the match that “God was at odds with us,” referring to a disallowed goal by Shoja Khalilzadeh in the 93rd minute due to an offside call after VAR review. A coaching staff member broke his nose when another accidentally headbutted him during the celebration of the goal before it was overturned. Egypt taunted Khalilzadeh with an Instagram picture of Mohamed Salah wearing sunglasses.

State television accused other teams of cheating and collusion. After the match, Iran needed Croatia to lose to Ghana (but Croatia won 2-1), DR Congo to lose to Uzbekistan (but DR Congo won 3-1), or a winner in Algeria vs Austria (the match ended 3-3). Sports presenter Javad Khiabani appealed to Algeria to help “Muslim brothers.” When Algeria led 3-2, Iranian commentators celebrated, but Austria's Sasa Kalajdzic equalized with his first touch. Austria's coach Ralf Rangnick dismissed match-fixing allegations, saying “If Alfred Hitchcock had written such a drama, I would have said he was completely mad.”

The tournament took place amid war: the US has been at war with Iran for four months, and bombed islands in the Strait of Hormuz hours before the match. Iranian football officials were denied visas over alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Players were based mostly in Tijuana, Mexico, and could only enter the US 24 hours before matches.

In January 2026, thousands of Iranians, including at least 230 children, were killed in anti-government protests. Amnesty International called it an “unprecedented deadly crackdown.” Many diaspora Iranians used the pre-1979 flag outside stadiums. Former captain Mohammad Khakpour wrote that “when a part of society feels Team Melli no longer represents their emotions, a chasm is created.” Tehran resident Farhad said he preferred the team to advance but was not devastated.