Iran squad lands in Tehran after visa denials and forced border crossings marred their World Cup 2026 campaign

Iran’s World Cup squad touched down at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport at 3.30pm local time on Wednesday, July 1, ending a tournament campaign defined as much by political obstacles as by football, after the team were eliminated from World Cup 2026 despite not losing a single group game.

Manager Amir Ghalenoei’s side drew all three matches — against Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand — but finished as the ninth-best third-placed team, missing the cut for the round of 32 on goal difference. A late goal from defender Shojae Khalilzadeh in the final group game against Egypt, which would have sent Iran through, was ruled out, ending any hope of progression.

The squad’s path through the tournament was complicated from the outset by the diplomatic tensions between Iran and the United States. Their original training base in Tucson, Arizona was relocated to Tijuana, Mexico, shortly before the tournament began, forcing the team to repeatedly cross the US-Mexico border to play their matches, all three of which were held on American soil. Eleven members of Iran’s delegation were denied US visas entirely.

Ghalenoei did not hide his frustration at the conditions his squad were forced to endure. Speaking after the opening draw with New Zealand, he said the team were given no time to recover between matches. “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately,’” he told reporters. “It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that. They delayed our arrivals, and they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery.”

The Iran manager added: “They are making the situation more and more difficult, facing us with more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best. That’s why I think we are the most oppressed team in the World Cup.”

Following Iran’s elimination, United States Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin publicly boasted about the decision to deny visas to members of the Iranian delegation, drawing further attention to the political dimension of the team’s experience at the tournament.

Despite the circumstances, Iran’s unbeaten group-stage record represented a creditable performance, and the squad’s return home closes a chapter on one of the more politically charged stories of the 2026 World Cup.