Iran's hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time ended in bitter disappointment after Austria scored a last-minute equalizer against Algeria, denying Iran a spot among the best third-placed teams.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei's side finished their group campaign on Friday with a 1-1 draw against Egypt. The result left Iran waiting on other matches to see if three points would be enough to secure a place in the round of 32.
Iran came close to scoring in stoppage time against Egypt, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review. That left them dependent on other results.
For a few minutes on Saturday, it seemed Iran might advance when Algeria took a 3-2 lead against Austria in stoppage time. However, Austria equalized 3-3 almost with the last kick of the match, allowing both teams to progress and ending Iran's dream.
Iran leaves the World Cup undefeated, with draws against Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt. However, their campaign was heavily affected by off-field issues related to visas and the US-Israel conflict.
Visa uncertainty and the US-Israel war in Iran forced the team to travel from their training base in co-host Mexico to the United States for all three group matches. US authorities required them to enter the country within 24 hours of each match and leave the same day. These restrictions were only slightly eased for the final match against Egypt in Seattle, where they were allowed to arrive two days early.
US President Donald Trump said in March that Iran was welcome to attend the World Cup, but he believed it was inappropriate for them to be in the United States "for their own safety."
After the draw with Egypt, captain Mehdi Taremi described the situation as a "disaster" logistically and questioned whether his team was truly welcome at the tournament. "Who wants to help us? If they want us out, then okay, let us out. But it is unfair," Taremi said.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team was being "oppressed" as key members of the delegation were unable to travel with the squad to the United States.
Ultimately, Iran's campaign was decided in moments. If Taremi had scored a first-half penalty against Egypt, or if his header had hit the net instead of the crossbar later on, Iran might have made the knockout stage for the first time.
Iran leaves the tournament with three points from three draws, and their only hope was a place among the four best third-placed teams, but that spot went elsewhere when Austria and Algeria drew.
