The Iranian national football team is set to depart for home this Monday, wrapping up a challenging World Cup campaign that saw them eliminated at the group stage. The squad, which had been utilizing Tijuana, Mexico, as their tournament base, is scheduled to fly out at 6 p.m. local time. Their exit comes after finishing third in Group G, having secured three draws against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt; unfortunately, these results left them just two goals shy of qualifying for the round of 32 as one of the top third-placed teams.

Beyond the pitch, the tournament was fraught with logistical and political tension. Due to visa denials for several staff members, the team was forced to relocate their base from Tucson, Arizona, to Mexico. Captain Mehdi Taremi did not hold back in his assessment of the experience, labeling the tournament a "disaster" and criticizing FIFA’s inability to manage the restrictive travel mandates imposed on the players by American authorities. Throughout the competition, the squad faced significant hurdles, including being barred from arriving in the U.S. more than two days before their matches, a cumulative strain that clearly impacted the team's morale and performance.