Iran suffer cruel World Cup exit after VAR and tiebreak drama

A stoppage-time winner against Egypt was ruled out by VAR for offside, and Austria’s 3-3 draw with Algeria then pushed Iran out on third-place tiebreakers.

Under FIFA’s 2026 format, the 12 groups send the top two teams and the eight best third-placed sides into the Round of 32. Tiebreakers start with head-to-head points, then head-to-head goal difference, head-to-head goals scored, before moving to overall goal difference and goals scored if teams still cannot be separated. In a tournament running from 11 June to 19 July across Canada, Mexico and the United States, Iran were denied a place in the World Cup last 32 by every narrow margin.

Iran have never gone beyond the group stage at a FIFA World Cup, despite appearances in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.

On 21 June 1998 in Lyon, Iran beat the United States 2-1 at Stade de Gerland in front of 39,100 spectators. Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scored for Iran, Brian McBride replied for the United States, and the result eliminated the Americans. The match came after years of tension between the countries, including the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the US embassy hostage crisis and the 1953 coup.

At Qatar 2022, Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored in the 98th minute and Ramin Rezaeian added another in the 101st as Iran beat Wales 2-0, their first World Cup win against European opposition and their first victory by more than one goal. Cheshmi’s goal was his first international strike in four-and-a-half years, and Carlos Queiroz had set the tone before kick-off by saying, “We need three points - nothing less.”