Iran narrowly knocked out of tumultuous World Cup on Austria’s last-second goal

Iran was eliminated from the World Cup after Austria scored a last-second goal to tie Algeria, denying Iran advancement on tiebreakers. The team played amid tight U.S. travel restrictions and geopolitical tensions, including a drone assault on Bahrain and U.S. airstrikes. Iran finished third in Group G with three points.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready... By JIM VERTUNO Iran has been eliminated from the World Cup https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup , narrowly failing to advance past the group stage in a politically charged tournament where the team played its matches amid tight restrictions imposed by the United States. Iran missed the round of 32 by one spot in heartbreaking fashion. It finished third in Group G with three points earned with draws against Belgium https://apnews.com/article/iran-belgium-score-world-cup-f67f00cef03bd640a39432c9789be7bf , New Zealand https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-iran-new-zealand-score-314655749d94fe577bb2b52ebd6b32c4 and Egypt https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-egypt-iran-score-d99f80d352317897f3dfa67da0aba9be . Iran appeared to have advanced via tiebreakers when Algeria scored a stunning stoppage-time goal to go ahead of Austria 3-2 Saturday night, but Austria tied it back up seconds later on the game’s final play. Their draw ensured Iran’s elimination. It was one last painful moment for Iran in a World Cup that’s been tumultuous, on and off the pitch. The Iranians have been playing while Tehran negotiates with Washington on the terms of a deal https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-deal-june-17-2026-19652f4611b704c0a991bf1f5bc9a4b9 meant to permanently end the war that began earlier this year. Tensions continued Saturday when Iran https://apnews.com/hub/iran launched a drone assault targeting Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, in a likely response to overnight airstrikes by the U.S. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-hormuz-strait-june-26-2026-8c1a77eb82d25f00de814958114c7296 Hours later, the U.S. said it struck multiple Iranian military targets after it said Iran attacked a ship near the Straight of Hormuz. During the World Cup, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei and players complained about numerous complications, including travel restrictions, visa denials for support staff and quick departures from the U.S. after matches. U.S. officials have said all restrictions were known before the tournament https://apnews.com/article/iran-world-cup-complaint-visas-8be2c56639a8ab0c464145710e912a09 . The U.S. and Israel began the war on Feb. 28 by attacking Iran, which retaliated with attacks in the region and by asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz. In March, Iran sought to move its group-stage matches to Mexico, https://apnews.com/article/fifa-world-cup-iran-us-mexico-43f56d6047fb340672dbe64583214228 with which it has diplomatic ties. Its request to move its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana was granted two weeks before the team’s arrival. After Iran was eliminated Saturday night, the team sent a statement expressing “heartfelt appreciation to the wonderful people of Mexico, especially the beautiful city of Tijuana.” “Leaving Tijuana is truly difficult for all of us,” the statement said. At its first match, several hundred Iranian Americans protested https://apnews.com/article/iran-protest-world-cup-0ebcfd4931c65d9a51090290ca9d7805 outside the stadium, calling for change in Tehran and waving the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag. Thousands more poured into the stadium to watch them play, and the pre-game national anthem was met with a mix of cheers and boos. For the first two matches, near Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before and had to return to Mexico immediately after each game. The U.S. then eased its restrictions, https://apnews.com/article/iran-world-cup-travel-20af86f0da8c29dd088ecdf4d2313b2e allowing the squad to travel to Seattle two days before Friday’s match against Egypt. If Iran had advanced, it would have played its next match in Vancouver, British Columbia. “We were treated very, very badly,” Ghalenoei said after Friday’s draw with Egypt left the Iranians clinging to hope they would get to the next round. “I hope the world becomes aware of these issues.” “What these young Iranian national team players have done should be recorded in history,” Ghalenoei said. “Why? Because the host treated us in the worst possible way.”