Iran's ‘disaster World Cup’ comes to a dramatic end

Iran's players thought they had survived twice.

First, a stoppage-time goal against Egypt on Friday was ruled out. Then, on Saturday night, they believed Algeria's late goal had sent them into the knockout rounds — until Austria equalized with virtually the final touch of the match, eliminating Iran instead.

The cruel margins of the World Cup brought an end not only to Iran's World Cup campaign but also to the competition's most politically fraught storylines.

After months of wrangling over visas, cross-border travel and security arrangements while a host country and a participant were at war, Iran's exit closes a chapter that tested whether one of the tournament's earliest qualifiers could compete at all.

Throughout the competition, the Iranian team navigated restrictions that no other contender faced. The U.S. State Department did not extend visas to Iran’s full delegation, including government officials and support staff, and placed onerous restrictions on the team’s travel across U.S. borders that limited both their training routines and post-match physical recovery.

“Despite these difficulties, the Iranian team has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to stay focused and perform at the highest level, even under adverse circumstances,” Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, told POLITICO. “The professionalism shown by the players and coaching staff in the face of these challenges has been paramount, and the results achieved clearly reflect that reality.”

Travel arrangements for Iran’s team — which operates under the oversight of Tehran’s regime — have bedeviled the U.S. government ever since President Donald Trump signed an executive order last June that included the country — among the first to qualify for the World Cup — on a list of 11 whose citizens were subject to restrictive bans on entry to the United States. A provision of the executive order created an exception for those competing in the World Cup, among other major sporting events in the U.S.

The restriction complicated the ability of Iranian government officials and sports administrators to travel to the United States for pre-tournament activities. After some Iranian representatives planning to travel to Washington for the World Cup lottery draw in December saw their visa applications go unproved, they were planning to skip the draw entirely until FIFA stepped in to mediate.

“We want this to be a safe and secure World Cup,” White House World Cup Task Force Director Andrew Giuliani said the following month. “So yeah, of course, we want the teams to be here and to play, but we also understand that most fan bases are going to come here to enjoy an incredible World Cup, to add to the experience. But it’d be foolish, in understanding what Iran is going through right now, to expect that we would just open our borders.”

After the U.S. and Israel began a military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, first with the stated goal of removing the country’s governing regime, Iran’s top soccer official said his country might not send a team to the tournament, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Iranian soccer federation President Mehdi Taj told the Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 following the strikes.

As Trump sent mixed signals about whether he would facilitate Iran’s participation, FIFA President Gianni Infantino conducted shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Tehran to avoid a boycott that could delegitimize the world’s largest sporting event. The State Department did not extend visas to Iran’s full delegation, including government officials and support staff.

Amid concerns that the U.S. could not ensure its security, the Iranian Football Federation decided to move its base camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. That choice turned Iran into a commuter team, with its travel at the discretion of Trump’s Homeland Security Department, which limited the team’s players and coach to arrival within 24 hours of kickoff.

“Undoubtedly, the fact that the management and administrative staff could not accompany the team has negatively affected the players' peace of mind and further complicated the national team's work,” said Pasandideh.

Iranian team captain Mehdi Taremi said Friday that Infantino visited the team in its locker room and promised to “solve every problem here,” in Taremi’s recollection, but soccer’s governing body was unable to address the visa situation. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.

The department this week relaxed the rules on timing, allowing Iran’s team to spend two nights in Seattle before playing Friday, although several players complained they were held for extended questioning upon arrival. The Iranian squad was welcomed to Seattle’s Fairmont Hotel by a group of supporters, but was forced to return to Tijuana immediately upon the match’s conclusion late Friday night.

“It's a disaster World Cup,” Taremi told reporters after the draw against Egypt left Iran on the precipice of advancing to the knockout rounds. “We always complain about those things, but no one helps.”