2026 World Cup: Iran just 1 place away from knockout round

A day after a heartbreaking draw put Iran's World Cup race in jeopardy, Algeria and Austria decided with the final whistle. The Iranian national team, ranked third in Group G, was led by Croatia, DR. Congo and either Algerian or Austrian losses were needed to seize one of the final third-place knockout slots. Eight third-placed teams out of 12 will advance out of 32. Croatia, however, defeated Ghana, whohad already secured his place; D.R. Congo won 3-1 against Uzbekistan. This team left Meli's fate on top of Algeria and Austria. For about two minutes, it looked like Iran would succeed in coming out: Algeria scored a goal in the third late, leaving Austria out of the tournament. But the Austrians scored a few minutes later on their way back with Sasa Klajdzic, one of the last touches of the game. Algeria's four-point third placefinished third in the finals. Senegal, whose goal difference was better than Iran, made it to the final third place slot. This is Iran's sixth emigration to the World Cup; it has never gone beyond the group stage. The journey to Iran has been very difficult. The issues outside of football, which have come with playing in a war-torn country, are the shape of the difficulties behind Iran. The results of Team Meli's three group stage matches have all been in the draw: against New ZealandA 2-2 draw, a 0-0 draw against 10-Man Belgium, where Iran's first half goal was abandoned by var. Missed penalty, two shots out of the post and a draw time goal that was offside scored Iran to finish third in Group G. After Friday's game, Iranian defender Ramin Rezian expressed frustration over the soft draw, as he held his man-of-the-match award and spoke to reporters. "I'm tired," Rezian told reporterstold. "I don't know what's going on in our football, because I don't see any luck for my team, because we were able to win the game." Captain Mahdi Teremi of Iran said he was proud of what the team did. "We're here to make history," Teremi said. "Tomorrow, if our dream comes true, thank you. If not, I think we are proud of our sport, our players." Tragically, Iran's World CupThe ride now reached a very primitive end. --- ## Related Articles 1. [WK 2026](https://verrikalam.com/ta/news/wk-2026-1) 2. [2026 FIFA World Cup: Panama 1-2 England - Thomas Tuchel's post-match interview](https://khidarikhabran.com/khabran/2026-fifa-1-2-)