Iran bow out of World Cup: Late drama ends Team Melli’s knockout dream

Austria’s 3-3 draw with Algeria ultimately decides Iran’s fate as Team Melli crash out of the 2026 World Cup.Iran’s ‌hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout phase for the first time came to ⁠an agonising end after Austria’s last-gasp equaliser against Algeria left them outside the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams.Amir Ghalenoei’s side completed their Group G campaign on Friday with a ⁠1-1 draw against Egypt, leaving them waiting to discover on ⁠Saturday whether three points would be enough to earn a spot in the round of 32.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Who’s playing whom in the World Cup 2026 last-32 knockout phase?list 2 of 4Iran war day 121: IRGC hits Kuwait, Bahrain after US attacks near Hormuzlist 3 of 4Joy, disappointment, protests: A view from Egypt-Iran World Cup tielist 4 of 4Iran urge FIFA to stand up to ‘really terrible’ World Cup treatment by USend of listIran had already endured one major setback when a stoppage-time ⁠winner against Egypt was ruled out for offside.Iran’s Shoja Khalilzadeh, left, shows disappointment after his stoppage-time goal was ruled out after a VAR check [Troy Wayrynen/Imagn Images via Reuters]That left them needing other results in group stage matches to go their way, and for a few minutes on Saturday, it looked as if Iran were going to squeeze through when Algeria struck in stoppage time to achieve a 3-2 lead over Austria.However, the Austrians equalised with ‌almost the final kick of the game, salvaging a 3-3 draw that sent both teams through and denied Iran a place in the knockouts in their seventh World Cup appearance.Iran departs the tournament unbeaten after draws with Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in a challenging campaign due to myriad issues off the pitch.Uncertainty over visas and the US-Israel war on Iran meant the team had to commute from their tournament base in cohosts Mexico for their three group games ⁠in the United States.US authorities required them to enter within 24 hours ⁠of a match and leave the same day although those restrictions were eased slightly for their final game in Seattle, where they were allowed to arrive two days before the game.