Iran’s World Cup squad returned to a far warmer homecoming at Tehran’s airport on Wednesday than the reception they received when they landed in the United States for their three group fixtures.
Homecoming at Mehrabad after a heartbreaking campaign
As the team arrived, chants of “Iran, Iran!” echoed from a crowd of several hundred children, along with their parents and dedicated supporters.
Many waved the Iranian national flag, while others wore bracelets in the country’s colours or dressed in the “Team Melli” strip as they celebrated a side that came within touching distance of reaching the knockout rounds for the first time.
- Iran finished third in their group after drawing all three matches.
- They were eliminated because they were not among the eight best third-placed teams on goal difference.
Joy, music and tributes as the squad touched down
The atmosphere surged when it was announced that the team’s flight from Turkey had arrived. Iran had travelled there first after being based in Mexico during the tournament.
When the players came down from the aircraft, they were accompanied by musicians in military uniform performing the national anthem.
Supporters also focused on goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, whose standout display in the 0-0 draw with Belgium made him a national figure.
Beiranvand and Rezaeian on what went wrong
Speaking to the fans after landing at Mehrabad airport, Beiranvand offered an apology for the campaign’s outcome: “We apologise in front of you, for failing to qualify and to bring you happiness.”
Defender Ramin Rezaeian voiced a frustration heard repeatedly among the Iranian group, arguing that immigration obstacles encountered in the United States meant they could not make history.
“We deserved to go further, but they really made the task more complicated for us,” Rezaeian said.
Fans’ reaction and the group-stage rollercoaster
The same view was echoed by 42-year-old supporter Mona Banisafa, who was among those who turned out to welcome the squad home.
- Banisafa said the players gave everything but it “didn’t work out.”
- She added that the fans had come to thank the team regardless of the result.
- She believed a slightly better set of circumstances would have produced a stronger outcome.
Iran’s campaign featured a sequence of rapidly shifting emotions during the late stages of the group matches.
First, they believed they had secured a late winner against Egypt—enough for automatic qualification—only for celebrations to end when VAR ruled the goal was offside.
Afterwards, finishing third forced them to wait and see whether they would be selected among the eight best third-placed sides and advance to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
At one point, their hopes appeared to brighten when Algeria scored against Austria late in stoppage time in their Group J match.
But Austria quickly struck back, levelling just six minutes into added time and thereby overturning the scenario Iran needed.
Senegal ultimately claimed the final eighth spot thanks to superior goal difference, finishing on plus two compared to zero.
