2026 World Cup: Iran Lashes Out at Infantino and Sends a Message to Rivals About a Possible Fix
Iran’s qualification for the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup hangs by a thread. The Asian team drew 1-1 against Egypt, and saw its 2-1 goal—which would have allowed it to advance—disallowed by VAR due to a millimeter-thin offside call. Now the Tehran team will need a miracle—the right combination of results in the other groups—to advance as one of the best third-place finishers.
The Iranians, who left the field in shock after the disallowed goal, issued a post-match message to their rivals, warning them about possible “fixed matches”: “We come from Iran, a land that, for thousands of years, has valued honor above victory. For us, soccer is more than a competition for results; it is a test of character. Perhaps points can be earned in many ways, but respect cannot. Perhaps a team can advance from a group, but only through fairness and honor can one walk with one’s head held high. Fair play is not just a rule of soccer; it is the soul of the game.”
The message is directed at Austria, Algeria, Ghana, Congo, Uzbekistan, and Croatia—the teams set to take the field on Saturday for their final group stage matches: in particular, the Ghana-Croatia and Algeria-Austria matches could be at risk of being “fixed,” and it would be the Iranians who would pay the price.
After the match, Captain Taremi also lashed out at FIFA and Gianni Infantino: “This is a disastrous World Cup; a disaster. FIFA should have resolved these issues, but it failed to do so from the very beginning. Mr. Infantino came into our locker room after the first match against New Zealand and told us, ‘It’s just the beginning…,’ but the group stage ends tomorrow.”
“We don’t have our logistics staff here; they don’t have visas. How is it possible that we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people of Tijuana. We love Mexico. They’re humble people and we love them, but for a professional player in a professional competition, it’s not fair. If they want us to leave, then fine, we’ll leave. But it’s not fair. We don’t have recovery or logistics staff to help us. We’re always complaining about these things, but nobody helps us—nobody.”
