In a World Cup co-hosted by a country waging war on their homeland, the odds were always stacked against Iran’s Team Melli, who narrowly missed out on the knockout stage despite being undefeated. Their players departed North America on Tuesday, mocked by a senior official in the Trump administration but saluted by fans at their replacement base in Mexico’s Tijuana.
The Iranian national team left their World Cup base in Mexico on Tuesday following a troubled tournament marked by repeated spats with US officials, flashes of athletic brilliance and, ultimately, disappointment over barely missing out on a historic place in the knockout stage.
