Iran feels ‘oppressed’ at this World Cup – its players are battling toward history anyway

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Six days ago here at SoFi Stadium, in enemy territory, amid a cloud of tension, Iran’s national soccer team began airing grievances, reasons that it seemingly could not succeed at this 2026 World Cup.

Its coach, Amir Ghalenoei, called his team the “most oppressed” team at the tournament. Players spoke about how U.S. travel restrictions were hampering them. “Everything is like a disaster for us,” striker Mehdi Tarehmi said, and after a 2-2 draw with New Zealand that night, they sounded like preemptive excuses for an early World Cup exit.

But on Sunday, back at the same stadium in greater Los Angeles, the Iranians banded together, earned a defiant draw against Belgium, and sent a very different message.

“We have said enough about the situation we are in,” winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh said.

It was time, instead, to unite — as a team and as a people.

The Iranians put multiple scares into heavily favored Belgium. They shackled superstars like Kevin de Bruyne and Leandro Trossard. They scored a goal that was narrowly disallowed upon review. They mobbed their goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, after a heroic second-half save. As the final whistle neared, they pushed for a winner, and some players were disappointed they didn’t get one.

But they took pride in a 0-0 draw that, at least for a few hours, put them on top of Group G.

How’d they do it amid all the adverse circumstances?

“This is part of our culture,” Jahanbakhsh said. “In a difficult situation, we perform better.”

Two days ago, they were sitting at lunch in Tijuana, Mexico, not knowing when exactly they would travel from their base camp to Los Angeles. According to Ghalenoei, FIFA called that day to raise the possibility of a Friday evening flight ahead of Sunday’s game — which is what Iran had asked for all along. But the Friday travel plans never materialized, he said.

Instead, at the mercy of U.S. authorities, the team traveled on Saturday afternoon. Ghalenoei claimed they were unable to complete a full training session.

“These constraints have made it very difficult for us,” he said via an interpreter at his news conference that night.

But “difficult,” it seems, is just how the Iranians like it.

The challenging circumstances, Jahanbakhsh explained, “united us even more… We’ve shown a great team character, and part of it comes from the situation we are in.”

Midfielder Samman Ghoddos agreed: “It shows a lot of character from our side.”

Amid the complaints and controversy, they prepared for this game against Belgium. In spite of suboptimal conditions, under unimaginable pressure, they rallied around a common goal: reaching the World Cup knockout rounds and inspiring Iranians everywhere.

And in front of 70,317 fans here at SoFi Stadium, they took a big step in that direction.

On the morning of the match, more hostile words flew high above their heads. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin essentially accused Iran of trying to sneak officials with “direct ties” to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into the United States. Less than an hour before kickoff, the Iranian football federation shot back with a lengthy statement that “strongly condemn(ed)” the “series of false, fabricated, and entirely baseless allegations.” It was the latest battle in a month-long geopolitical spat that has hung over Iran’s participation in this tournament.

But when the game began, the football captivated everyone. Even those who booed the Iranian national anthem, in protest of the authoritarian regime that rules the country. Nearly everyone wearing white erupted when Taremi scored the disallowed goal, and later, when a red card reduced Belgium to 10 men.

There was, it seemed, a connection between players and many fans — even some of those who feel conflicted about supporting the team.

And this is exactly what the Iranian players wanted.

“We play for all the Iranians in Iran, outside Iran, with whatever ideology, whatever preference they have,” Jahanbakhsh said. “And we make sure to make them happy. Because I’m sure, at the end of the day, they love Team Melli from their heart.”

Team Melli, the nickname for the Iranian team, wants the fans to know they are loved in return.

“We respect them all,” Jahanbakhsh continued. “And I think the most important thing we can do as a team is to perform well, to make sure we put our heart on the pitch, and to do everything to make them happy.”

That’s what they did for 90 minutes on Sunday, and now, they are on the verge of making history. Iran has never advanced to the knockout rounds of a World Cup. A draw against Egypt on Friday, the final day of Group G, would almost certainly get them there.

So they will return to their Tijuana base in good spirits, focused but appreciative.

The time for airing grievances, it seems, is over.

“Yeah, the situation hasn’t been the best, but we don’t want to keep repeating that, because I think everyone is aware of that,” Jahanbakhsh said.

He was more interested in thanking the people of Tijuana, who have been so welcoming. “Muchas gracias,” he said. Their love, he added, “makes it a lot easier” for the players, and makes Tijuana feel like “home.” He beamed when thinking about the Spanish phrases that he now hears everywhere: “Iran, hermano, ya eres Mexicano.”

“Iran, brother, you’re Mexican now.”

They will ride that love into the Egypt match. They might even get to travel to Seattle two days prior, Ghalenoei said. They have been on the verge of knockout rounds before, only to come up short; this time, they are determined to get there.

“Now,” Jahanbakhsh said, “I think the most important thing is, we recover well to make sure that we are ready for the next game, (with) the same energy, same spirits, to … hopefully make the best performance for our people back home. We know they deserve a lot, even the people who came to the stadium today, with the different ideas, different ideology, different culture, from different cities in Iran.”

Winning, he said, would “bring people together.”

And before the team left Los Angeles, they scrawled a message on a large Post-It sheet in their locker room that sent a similar message.

“From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dinity. Thank you, Los Angeles, for your hospitality. And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes.

“May peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations. ”