Iran's national football team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after finishing third in Group G, falling just outside the eight third-place teams that advanced to the Round of 32.
The team drew 1-1 with Egypt in Seattle on Friday. A 93rd-minute goal by centre-back Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to clinch automatic qualification for Iran, but VAR ruled it out after determining that a few centimetres of his right foot were offside, according to Al Jazeera. Iran finished with three points from three draws across the group stage.
The elimination was confirmed a day after the Egypt match, once results from other groups determined which third-place finishers advanced. Iran needed results to fall a certain way and they did not.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei addressed the loss in a live post-match interview on state television. He said he believed everyone enjoyed the match, but at times it seemed like "God was at odds with us" due to the poor luck, which also included Iran scoring three VAR-overturned goals during the competition. That total was the highest of any team in the tournament.
The tournament had unusual circumstances for Iran. The United States, one of the three host nations, has been at war with Iran for the past four months. The US military bombed several islands in the Strait of Hormuz in Iran's southern waters just hours before kick-off in the Iran-Egypt match. Ghalenoei cited the difficult conditions faced by players and staff throughout the campaign.
Iran's elimination stirred strong reactions both inside the country and among Iranians abroad. A Tehran resident named Milad, who watched all of Iran's matches and the results that affected their standing, told Al Jazeera: "This was very unlikely to happen, I couldn't believe how we got out again, with just one spot away from advancing."
The moments after the disallowed goal added a physical toll to the emotional one. A member of the coaching staff had his nose broken when another staff member accidentally headbutted him during the brief celebration before the call was reversed. Egypt, which did advance, later posted an image on Instagram of striker Mohamed Salah wearing sunglasses, a reference to Khalilzadeh's goal celebration.
Canada meanwhile advanced from the tournament's first knockout match, defeating South Africa 1-0 on a stoppage-time goal, according to multiple reports.
