In Group G, Egypt is in second place with five points, while Iran is in third place with three points.
Published June 27, 2026
Iran faces uncertainty over whether they will qualify for the World Cup finals after coming from behind to hold Egypt to a 1-1 draw, a match that ended in dramatic fashion with Iran’s last-minute winner ruled out for offside.
Egypt, who had already secured a spot in the last 32, took the lead within the first five minutes through Mahmoud Saber, before Ramin Rezean scored the equalizer from a narrow angle in the 14th minute.
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The game stalled from the start and started to get rough until the remarkable finale, when Iran hit the crates and snatched a famous victory, only for VAR to intervene.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi, who saved a penalty in the first half, hit the crossbar with a header in the second half, and Shoja Khalilzadeh scored in the 93rd minute, sparking wild celebrations as the Iranian bench streamed onto the pitch.
However, Khalilzadeh was slightly offside and Egypt held on for a draw, leaving them in second place with five points behind Belgium on goal difference, and they will face Australia in Dallas on July 3rd in the final tournament.
Iran is in 3rd place with 3 points and must wait to see if they will pass as one of the top 8 teams in 3rd place.
Iran’s slow joy turns to despair
The match was played with a large and boisterous Egyptian team in the stands, but there were also a significant number of Iranians in attendance, some waving pre-revolutionary flags and booing the Iranian national anthem.
Friday’s match was also designated as a “pride match” by local organizers, and although the game ended without incident off the pitch, numerous rainbow flags were displayed inside the stadium.
Egypt broke the deadlock with some clever movement led by Mohamed Salah, but his trademark left-footed shot ultimately fell to Saber, whose cool shot slipped past Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
But Iran remained unfazed and Taremi earned a penalty almost immediately, which was brilliantly saved by Mostafa Shobair. The Egyptian goalkeeper then made another diving stop, but the rebound allowed Rezean to equalize.
There were few clear chances after the first-half rehydration break and with Egypt’s first-ever place in the finals already assured, the Pharaohs were growing weaker as Iran grew more confident.
A pinball inside the box in stoppage time ended with Khalilzadeh’s shot and it looked like Iran would advance to the round of 32, but the goal was canceled and Team Melli’s fate was no longer in their hands.
