Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has hit out at the unfair treatment his side have faced from the United States so far at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
Iran and the United States have been locked in a state of war over the last few months, which has also affected the team at the Mundial.
Their training camp was switched to Mexico ahead of the tournament and were only allowed to enter the United States the day before their match and had to leave immediately after for their first two games in the country.
Speaking after their 1-1 draw against Egypt, Ghalenoei expressed frustration over his side’s treatment and believes it has also affected them during the course of the tournament.
“To my players and the team, I want to say to them I’m proud of them. What these young people, these players have done, it should be written in history because the host country treated us very unfairly”, Ghalenoei said.
“Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team.
“I urge Fifa: don’t let hosts treat players and teams the same way in future World Cups.”
Iran picked up three points from their group stage games and have a very slim chance of sealing qualification to the next round, depending on the results of Croatia, DR Congo and Algeria.
Meanwhile, captain Mehdi Taremi also criticized the organization of the tournament after the match.
“How is it possible we always have to travel to Tijuana? We love the people of Mexico. We love Tijuana, it’s so good, they are so humble people. We love them”, Taremi said.
“But as professional players, in a professional competition, it’s not right.”
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