Iran's army warned on Sunday that the Middle East war would widen if the United States chose to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic republic

The rescinding of USA forward Folarin Balogun's suspension on US president Donald Trump's request shows how much corruption and greed has eaten into the sport's showpiece event.

With Argentina beating Jordan 3-1 and Algeria and Austria playing out a dramatic 3-3 draw in the final Group J matches, the group stage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 came to an end on Sunday.

Iran left a note in their locker room following a 1-1 draw with Egypt on Friday, thanking Seattle for its hospitality during the World Cup, and appeared to express disappointment over the result that left their place in the knockout stage in limbo.

Los Angeles hosted both of Iran's Group G matches so far, with the team returning to their base in Tijuana, Mexico between games.

Having arrived at the tournament under the shadow of war between Tehran and Washington, Iran have drawn both their opening games, and remain in with a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time.

The Iranian community in Tijuana is tiny - around 20 people - and much smaller than that of Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran.

Iran threatened to halt its matches at the World Cup if unauthorised flags are displayed or slogans targeting the national team are chanted at stadiums, Iranian media reported, citing Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, following criticism of the team’s presence at the tournament.

The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup on Tuesday defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team.

Iran's football federation on Tuesday said the United States has revoked its allocation of tickets for its World Cup group games.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy added.

Iran's football team arrived in Turkey on Monday for a training camp and to complete visa applications ahead of the 2026 World Cup, AFP correspondents said.

Ghalenoei did not explain the reason for omitting Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, but Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the former Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma striker was left out due to injury.

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described as "excellent" and "constructive" the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Iran and the US cut diplomatic ties in 1980 and the players are expected to use their time in Turkey to complete the necessary procedures for obtaining visas.

In the Strait of Hormuz, US warships menace Iran's oil tankers, while in Washington President Donald Trump demands "complete victory." But in Tucson, they're getting ready to welcome the Iranian football team as if nothing were amiss.

Having observed Iran for a long time, how do you understand the country?

Iran's football federation said on Saturday that the men's national team will take part in the 2026 World Cup this summer, but demanded that joint hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada agree to its conditions amid the Middle East war.

Iran have suffered a significant on-field blow ahead of their World Cup campaign after winger Ali Gholizadeh suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing for his club Lech Poznan in Poland.

Iran's Hossein Vafaei caused the biggest shock of this year's World Snooker Championship as he beat world number one Judd Trump in a final frame decider on Monday.