IRAN will return home on Monday after suffering an early exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending a campaign overshadowed by travel restrictions, visa disputes and regional conflict.
A team official said the Iranian squad is scheduled to depart from Tijuana, Mexico, at 6pm local time (0100 GMT Tuesday), having used the city as its tournament base throughout the competition.
Iran finished third in Group G with three points after drawing against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.
However, that tally was insufficient to secure one of the eight places available for the best third-placed teams, with Iran eliminated on goal difference after finishing two goals short of qualification for the Round of 32, AFP reported.
The team's campaign was complicated from the outset by the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Iran was forced to relocate its World Cup training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana after visas for 12 members of its backroom staff were reportedly denied by United States authorities.
Although Iran played all of its World Cup matches in the United States, team officials expressed frustration over strict travel restrictions imposed during the tournament.
Among the measures was a requirement preventing the squad from entering the United States until two days before each match.
The team was only permitted to cross the border ahead of its final group match against Egypt before returning to Mexico immediately after the fixture.
"It was a disastrous World Cup. A disaster," captain Mehdi Taremi said after the draw against Egypt.
"Who is responsible? FIFA. They were supposed to solve every problem here but unfortunately, they failed from the very beginning," he said. - June 29, 2026
