Iran’s World Cup journey ended in heartbreak, with the final whistle leaving players and fans stunned after they missed the Round of 32 on goal difference. Amid the disappointment, comedian Trevor Noah stepped in with a bigger question, wondering whether the treatment of the team helped shape how their tournament unfolded.

“Why is it that African teams and Middle Eastern teams have to answer for what their governments?” said the comedian on his live stream. “Shout out to the Iranian team. We’re not talking about Iran the country, or the regime or anyone. Those players have so much respect; they played the game with integrity.

Still, every press conference afterwards, they don’t get asked questions about the game…the guy’s like, ‘I’m a footballer. I’m here to talk about football.’ But they don’t ask this of any of the American players.”

Trevor Noah believes that we should keep sports separate from politics. And players should not be answering for the steps their respective countries have taken. With the FIFA World Cup heading to the Round of 32, the comedian and writer was singing praises for the Iranian National Team.

He argued that the Iranian players kept showing respect despite having to deal with problems. But the media was more focused on the problems that were out of the team’s control. He posted on his Instagram, saying, “Funny how some teams get asked about football…and others get asked to explain the world.” 

He wasn’t the only one who was unhappy, because even the Iranian players and coach questioned FIFA and the host nation, the USA.

Iran’s time in the World Cup got difficult far before they even set foot onto the field. The team was training in Tijuana and had to cross the border every time they played a game. And this went on throughout the tournament for Iran.  That is what even Iranian player Mehdi Taremi and coach Amir Ghalenoei were not happy with.  

Captain Mehdi Taremi called it “a disastrous World Cup” before adding, “FIFA did nothing” to solve the problems the team faced despite the promises made.  

Coach Amir Ghalenoei said, “We were treated very, very badly.” He then pleaded with FIFA and asked them to do a better job in protecting the teams in the future. And all this frustration was not because of the on-field performance, but the off-field tensions that the team had to face. 

But despite facing so many problems, Iran put up a good fight. They stayed unbeaten throughout the group stage. But had to face heartbreak after the Austria-Algeria game ended in a draw. 

And for the people who were looking for an escape route through football, this will be a tough pill to swallow.

FIFA World Cup ends in a major heartbreak for Iran

Things never really came together for Iran at the World Cup, even though they were one of the only teams to be unbeaten through the group stage. But with draws against Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt, the team had only 3 points on board and a Goal Difference of 0. 

Against Egypt, Shoja Khalilzadeh thought he scored a 93rd-minute winner before VAR ruled it offside. That late setback meant Iran could only wait and hope for help from other teams. But that help never came. 

For Iran to make it through, Croatia had to lose to Ghana or DR Congo had to lose to Uzbekistan, or either Algeria or Austria had to win their game. But none of the games went their way. 

Croatia beat Ghana 2-1, and DR Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1. The knockout punch came after Austria’s late equalizer against Algeria. This meant that Iran was not going to the next round.  

After the Egypt draw, head coach Amir Ghalenoei admitted, “God was at odds with us.” And that frustration can be said for the whole journey they had in this World Cup.

Small moments decided everything for Iran, and remaining unbeaten came with a price.