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tehran [ईरान]June 30 (ANI): Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghai said the treatment meted out to Iran's football team during the FIFA World Cup 2026 was, in his words, "most political". This information has been given by Al Jazeera. It is noteworthy that Iran's participation in the FIFA World Cup 2026, jointly organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico, came amid the current geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Israel.

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Problem regarding visa and accommodation

Iran moved its World Cup base camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, following uncertainty over travel and entry arrangements into the United States before the tournament began. Baghai said the issuance of visas has been a major issue since the beginning, with a large number of technical staff and federation officials being denied visas. "The issue of the Iranian national football team staying at a venue other than the venue of the Games also became problematic," he said, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran's team was eliminated in the group stage itself

Iran had a disappointing campaign at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The team drew all three of its group-stage matches, but were eliminated after finishing third in Group G behind Belgium and Egypt. They also missed qualification as one of the best third-placed teams. In their last group-stage match against Iran, Mahmoud Saber gave the Pharaohs (Egypt) the lead after Mohamed Salah's effort was blocked, before Ramin Rezaian scored the equalizer for Iran. Earlier, Mehdi Taremi's penalty was saved by Mustafa Shober. Ramin Rezaian was named player of the match, but Iran's last-ditch effort for victory turned into disappointment when a goal scored in stoppage-time was ruled offside after a VAR review. (ANI)