Egypt advanced past the group stage at the World Cup for the first time while Iran will have to wait one day to find out its fate after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw

For a few moments, it looked like Iran had found the goal that would send it through. In the 93rd minute deep in stoppage time against Egypt, Shoja Khalilzadeh struck the ball into an empty net after a wild sequence inside the box.

Rainbow flags fluttered among the sea of Iranian and Egyptian banners at Seattle’s World Cup stadium, as teams from two of the most repressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people took to the field.

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team perhaps the "most oppressed team in the whole World Cup," after he said Iran have been forced to leave Los Angeles and return to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico,

With the country engrossed by the unexpected success of the US men's team’s performance in the 2026 World Cup, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin refused to take the high road when the team from Iran was eliminated.

Iran faced challenges, including relocating their training base to Tijuana, Mexico, due to visa complications for some delegates

Simon Jordan and Jim White clashed with White House chief Andrew Giuliani during a heated debate over the treatment of Iran’s football team at the World Cup. Earlier this week, US Secretary