The head coach of Iran Amir Ghalenoei has accused the United States of unfairly treating his team during the 2026 World Cup, calling on FIFA to ensure future host nations provide a level playing field for all participating teams.
The criticism came after Iran ended their Group G campaign with a 1-1 draw against Egypt, leaving their hopes of reaching the last 16 dependent on results in their other groups.
Ghalenoei said his players had to navigate difficult travel arrangements during the tournament after their original training base in Arizona was shifted to Tijuana, Mexico, before the competition began.
Coach questions travel restrictions
For Iran’s opening two games in Los Angeles, the team was only allowed to enter the United States one day before each game and had to leave the same day after the games due to visa restrictions.
Although the team was allowed to arrive two days before the final group game against Egypt in Seattle, they still had to return to Tijuana immediately after the game.
“I want to say to my players and the team that I am proud of them. What these young people, these players did, should go down in history because the host country treated us very unfairly,” Ghalenoei said.
“Despite all these problems, we were able to perform well and the world is proud of the Iranians and our team.”
He added: “I call on FIFA: don’t let the hosts treat players and teams the same way at future World Cups.”
Knockout hopes are still alive
Iran appeared to have secured automatic qualification when Shoja Khalilzadeh scored in stoppage time against Egypt, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
“Before I thought we were a really downtrodden team, but after these three games, I noticed that we also have bad luck,” Ghalenoei added.
Captain Mehdi Taremi also criticized the logistics of the tournament.
“How come we always have to travel to Tijuana? We love the people of Mexico. We love Tijuana, it’s so good, they’re such humble people. We love them.
“But as professional players, in a professional competition, that’s not right.”
Iran remain sixth in the standings among the third-placed teams and must now await their remaining group matches to determine whether they qualify for the knockout stages.
