Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei praised his players following the 1-1 draw with Egypt in the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, saying his team deserved recognition despite still waiting to learn whether it will reach the knockout rounds, İdman.Biz reports.
Iran finished third in Group G with three points after drawing all three matches and must now rely on results elsewhere to qualify as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.
Speaking after the match, Ghalenoei said he was proud of his country, his players and the sacrifices they had made throughout the tournament.
"Once again, I want to say that I am proud of my people, my country, our martyrs and my players. What this young Iranian team has achieved should go down in history because the host country treated us in the worst possible way," he said.
The Iranian coach also highlighted several achievements despite the uncertainty surrounding his team's fate.
"In all three matches, the Player of the Match was from Iran. We also finished the World Cup group stage unbeaten for the first time in our history. I used to think we were simply an unlucky team, but now I realize we are also very unfortunate. Even so, these players deserve to be praised."
Ghalenoei also pointed to Iran's difficult preparations compared with their rivals. He noted that Egypt played a pre-tournament friendly against Brazil, while New Zealand faced England, whereas Iran's only warm-up match was against a youth team from Tijuana in Mexico.
"That affected our technical, tactical and physical preparation. Despite everything, this team played football that has made people support Iran and hope we continue our World Cup journey. Now we must wait for tomorrow's results. The rest is in God's hands," he added.
