World Cup 2026: Undefeated Iran will go down in history, says coach Amir Ghalanei

Iran coach Amir Galenoi believes his side’s unbeaten start to the World Cup will be talked about for years to come because of the hurdles they faced before and during the tournament.

The Iranians 10-man Belgium drew goalless After opening their Group G campaign with a draw against New Zealand on Sunday.

Their participation in the World Cup was uncertain due to a war with the tournament’s co-hosts, the United States, and their preparations were disrupted by opposition teams canceling friendlies.

He said, I want to go back six months. “We were in a state of war for six months; our league was not managed.

“Many teams canceled the games they were going to play against us. We came to the World Cup in the worst possible situation.”

Iran has faced constant setbacks in the World Cup. They are based in Mexico and their games in the US require them to fly within a day of the game and leave on the day of the match to meet their visa requirements.

Iran will play Egypt in Seattle in their final group game on Friday and Ghalenoi said he hopes to be able to travel to the city beforehand, although the situation is currently under review.

A win for Iran would see them reach the knockouts, but Ghalenoye said his players had already achieved something great given the problems they faced.

He also said that the players who came to the World Cup in this condition should be congratulated.

“We had chances to win (against Belgium) but I think it’s a big achievement.

“We’ve had two matches with the conditions we had at the World Cup – we had less than 16 hours to train before the game.

“It will be written in our football history and future generations will take what we have achieved.”