Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has hailed his squad’s unbeaten start to the FIFA 2026 World Cup as a “great achievement” for the nation’s footballing history following their gruelling 0-0 draw against Belgium at the Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday.
Team Melli have drawn both of their opening Group G matches and remain firmly in contention to qualify for the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time in their history.
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Ghalenoei praised his players for securing a valuable point against Belgium, ranked 10th in the world, despite dealing with significant visa and travel restrictions during the tournament in the United States.
“This is a great achievement. We’ve had two games without losing in the World Cup, with the conditions that we’ve had,” Ghalenoei said.
“We had less than 16 hours to train before the game,” he added, referring to restrictions that prevented Iran from travelling early from their base camp in Mexico.
“This is a great achievement, and it will be written about in the history of our football. Future generations will talk about this.”
Iran’s performance came amid a charged atmosphere in Los Angeles, where sections of the city’s large Iranian exile community booed the national anthem before kick-off. However, the team also received strong backing from many supporters inside the packed stadium.
“I want to thank all Iranians, regardless of their political views,” Ghalenoei said.
“They supported us and gave us energy.”
Despite Belgium playing the final 24 minutes with 10 men following Nathan Ngoy’s red card, Ghalenoei admitted Iran were fortunate to come away with a draw against such high-quality opposition.
“I think we were lucky not to lose because Belgium are a very strong team,” he said.
“I don’t think many teams in the world could cope with the conditions we’ve faced and still perform like this. The circumstances have been extremely difficult for us.
“Our players are giving everything. They are playing with their hearts.”
The draw leaves Group G finely poised heading into the final round of matches, with Iran knowing that at least a point against Egypt in Seattle next Friday could be enough to secure a historic place in the knockout rounds.
“Now we have to focus on Egypt,” Ghalenoei said.
“They are a very strong team with excellent players. Our main objective is to reach the next round.”
Midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh also praised the team’s determination and spirit, saying the players are drawing motivation from their painful exit at the previous World Cup.
“At the last World Cup, we did everything we could, but in the very last moment we couldn’t make it,” Jahanbakhsh said.
“Now the most important thing is to recover well and make sure we are ready for the next game.”
With two hard-earned draws and qualification still within reach, Iran head into their decisive clash against Egypt believing they can finally make World Cup history.
