Iran's World Cup heartbreak deepens after two late VAR denials
Iran lost a knockout-stage place twice in one night, first to a VAR offside call against Egypt and then to Austria’s stoppage-time equalizer after Algeria had briefly helped them.
Iran’s place in the World Cup last 32 was snatched away twice in the same sequence of late drama, and the second denial sealed another exit without a first-ever knockout berth. A stoppage-time goal against Egypt that would have given Iran a 2-1 win was ruled out for offside by VAR, and when Algeria scored late against Austria, Iran briefly looked to be back in contention before Austria equalized on the final play.
Iran finished third in Group G with three points, ending another campaign in the group stage. The result extends a long pattern for a national side that has now appeared at seven World Cups, in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, without once advancing to the knockout rounds.
Amir Ghalenoei defended the use of video review after the decisive call, saying he accepted the technology and describing Iran as unlucky. He also framed the outcome as one shaped by forces beyond the pitch, while captain Mehdi Taremi said the moment would be written in history and suggested FIFA and the co-hosts might be pleased to see Iran leave.
The frustration carries a longer history of near misses and late swings. Iran’s first World Cup victory came on June 21, 1998, when goals from Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia carried Iran to a 2-1 win over the United States at Stade de Gerland in Lyon; Brian McBride scored for the United States. That win remains a landmark in Iranian football, but it did not lead to a deeper run.
More recently, Iran came close again in 2022, beating Wales 2-0 with two stoppage-time goals, including Roozbeh Cheshmi’s 98th-minute strike, before exiting after a 1-0 loss to the United States. That was their second straight World Cup departure on the final matchday, and the latest sequence of late VAR drama only sharpened the sense that Iran’s World Cup story has been defined as much by narrow margins and final-minute swings as by performance itself.
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