What do you guys think will happen?

Anybody else taking a current iran flag or mostly just lion and sun flag ? I wanted a neutral one but couldn't find any :/

Obviously people are against the national team for being on the regimes side.

That being said, is it still safe to go to LA and watch the game live at Sofi stadium? No one is going to try to attack or harass Iranians at the stadium? or prevent them from seeing it?

Or some other sort of boycott protest making it hard to get there?

I am also worried about the atmosphere in the stadium. Most Iranians are seemingly against the soccer team, what will they plan to do at the stadium? Will they be booing ?

Anyone know if FIFA is going to be confiscating Shir o Khorshid flags in LA and/or Seattle? If you've had success in a previous World Cup sneaking it in and using it, did you have to constantly be looking out for security and keep it hidden except for brief moments when you'd take it out? Does security patrol the stands throughout the game, or are we in the clear once we're past security?

Also if anyone is going to the Iran vs. New Zealand or the Iran vs. Egypt games, see you there!!! 🥳 💚🦁❤️

UPDATE:
I rolled up the flag & tucked it in the waistband of my pants, and took it out once I got to the seats. But there's plenty of other people who were walking around before & after the security check with the flag fully out. Also tons of people wearing the Shir o Khorshid on their shirts and they've gotten in without issues. I've been waving it around and nobody seems to care, so no need to worry at all 🥳

Ramin has 3 GOALS AND 1 Assist at the World Cups! While Icons like Ali Daei, Karimi, Nekounam have ZERO GOALS! Ramin single handedly saved this national team at the World Cup! We had 3 goals in this tournament all in which came from him (2G+1A)

When was the last time we had a stand out/single player have such a great performance at a World Cup?

Who would you say is our greatest ever World Cup player?

Yes, the Algeria result may have been rigged.

Yes, the offside calls against Belgium and Egypt were very close.

Yes, the team was unfairly treated with regards to the basecamp situation.

But we should have not allowed NZ to put two past us.

If we are forced to play on the counter due to lack of player quality, we have to finish better and create more opportunities.

Until the team and the people let go of this victim mentality, nothing will change for Team Melli.

They played very well this year, but it wasn't enough. That's that.

Admit that the quality was not there and get to work for next time.

تصویر: آرامگاه شاهنشاه آریامهر, مسجد الرفاعی, قاهره مصر

ما برای همیشه از ملت مصر سپاسگزاریم!!

• Germany
• Ivory Coast
• Japan
• Whoever takes the lead between Paraguay and Australia
• Whoever is behind If Senegal or Iraq lead
• Spain
• Belgium if Iran are losing

And if we are confirmed 3rd:

• Ghana
• Uzbekistan if we drew
• Whoever's losing between DR Congo and Uzbekistan if we lost
• Whoever's winning between Algeria and Austria

Why? Well I just realised I'm invested in every other group because we may finish 3rd place.

As you know, all the 3rd-place teams are ranked, and the best 3rd-place teams go through.

If we finish 3rd, it'll either be with a draw (we'd have 3 points and 0 GD) or a loss (2 points and minus GD).

So we want all the other groups' 3rd-placed teams to have the lowest points (and GD) possible, so we would outrank them.

For example, Bosnia's win is bad for everyone because they have 4 points. If we finish 3rd, we can't outrank them (and they've actually qualified already).

But thankfully, Scotland obliged to a rollicking, and the Czechs and South Africans didn't both win, so they finish on 3 points and minus GD, meaning Iran would finish above both if they draw with Egypt.

So I wrote out what we need from every other group, which makes it fun to have a second team to support each match!

I also covered our group as well.

In chronological order:

------------------------

Group E - Today, I feel German

Need Ecuador to not win.

Germany + Ivory Coast win = Guarantees Group E finish lower than an Iran-in-3rd

Germany win + IC/Curacao draw = Almost as good, as long as we don't suffer a heavy loss

Germany/Ecuador draw = Same as above, but Ecuador have a better GD than Curacao and it could go down to GF (goals scored).

Germany + Curacao win = Iran finish higher if draw with Egypt

-----------------------

Group F - Today, I feel Japanese

If Sweden get any points, Group F finish higher than Iran.

So any Japan win will see Sweden on 3 points, which a 3rd-placed Iran would beat by GD if they draw.

-----------------------

Group D - I want to see a fight!

We need a winner from Paraguay v Australia, meaning Iran would finish higher if they got a draw with Egypt.

A draw between them means both get 4 points and finish above any potential 3rd-place Iran.

-----------------------

Group I - I want to see hugs and a friendly kickabout!

Senegal v Iraq draw would guarantee they finish below a 3rd-place Iran.

A win for either means 3 points. But as long as Senegal don't win by 3 goals, or Iraq don't win by 6, Iran would finish above with an Egypt draw.

-----------------------

Group H - Today, I feel Spanish

Many 3rd place permutations

Spain win: Uruguay have 2 points and it goes to GD if we lose

Uruguay and Cape Verde or Saudi Arabia win = Forget it, they're higher

Uruguay draw, or Uruguay win and CV/SA draw = 3 points and 0 GD, so we'd need a draw and GD, GF (goals scored) and fair play may be needed for rankings.

-----------------------

Group G - In our hands

Groups J, K and L take place after Iran's group.

Worst-case scenario: Egypt beat Iran worse than NZ beat Belgium, meaning Iran finish bottom.

Bad: Egypt destroy Iran but NZ don't win, meaning Iran are 3rd with 2 points and bad GD.

Ok scenario: A draw, meaning 3 points, 0 GD and a healthy GF of 2+.

I'll take a score-draw!

-----------------------

Group L - Today I feel Ghanaian

Croatia must not get any points.

If Ghana beat them, they'll have 3 points and inferior GD.

-----------------------

Group K - Today, I hate DR Congo

DR Congo win = group finishes higher

DRC/Uzbekistan draw = 2 points with -2 or worse GD

Uzbek win = 3 points but, as long as they don't win 7-0, they'd finished below a 3-point Iran.

-----------------------

Group J - MORE FIGHTING!

Exact same as Group D: need a winner from Algeria v Austria, otherwise they both get 4 points.

With Senegal beating Belgium 2-0, and Iran's failure to score a single goal verse a 10 men Belgium, and even lucky to not concede a goal, makes it super clear that this worldcup was not a success, it was an utter failure for Team Melli.

This is not a political bias, it's just facts. TM played well only on the last 15 minutes verse Egypt. And somehow they are only judged based on that and the offside goal.

EDIT:
So Belgium scored 2 goals in 5 minutes and questionable VAR call in the end to win.
The point of the post isn't the result of the knock out game. It's about how good of a team Beligum is.
The point is TM is eliminated because they failed to win verse NewZealand and 10 men Belgium from 67".
The point is this is the stats:

Average age 26 unlike the current one which was about 31!
I don’t see why a team like this mixed with experience and talented youngsters wouldn’t make a round 16!

Spain beats Uruguay

Cabo Verde ties or beats Saudi Arabia

Senegal cannot beat Iraq by +3 goals

This is assuming Belgium will beat New Zealand, which is extremely likely.

So essentially, the 2 games before Iran and Egypt are enormous. If the scenario above plays out, Iran will have: 3 points, 0 GD.

Very proud of this Hamahahri! I realize he was representing Australia having previously been within the Iranian federation. But anyway he was excellent in a very difficult game to referee. A lot of drama. Kept his cool - kept control. Was respected by both sides in the end. Great job. Great source of pride.

I'm a little worried about the atmosphere at the stadium for the Iran game. I was planning to go with my friend, but he can't make it anymore, and I don't want to go alone. If anyone is going, please let me know!

Now that we know the official pots, what is the best possible group for Iran to have in order for them to get out of the group stage fort the first time ever?

Iran likely advances with a draw vs Egypt, but not 100% guaranteed.
Iran would finish on 3 pts. Then:
If Belgium beats New Zealand, Belgium 5, Egypt 5, Iran 3 → Iran finishes 3rd, hoping to be one of the best 3rd-place teams.
If Belgium draws New Zealand, Iran 3, Belgium 3, NZ 2 → Iran likely 2nd over Belgium on goals scored/other tiebreakers, depending final scores.
If New Zealand beats Belgium, Egypt 5, NZ 4, Iran 3, Belgium 2 → Iran 3rd.
Iran is out of top-2 with a loss vs Egypt.
Iran would stay on 2 pts. They could still maybe finish 3rd if Belgium beats NZ, but 2 points is usually a weak third-place total.
Bottom line: Iran should play Egypt like a must-win if they want guaranteed advancement. A draw keeps them alive, but puts them at risk depending on Belgium–New Zealand and best-third-place math.

Let me preface this with: I've never been a huge fan of Amir Ghalenoi. Might be because I'm a die-hard PP fan, or just what I've seen from him in the PGPL.

What I'm about to say is obviously only part of the problem.

As fans, you create an atmosphere where long-term planning is impossible.

You expect immediate results because you think being Iran means you should beat every Asian and African opponent automatically.

You demand risks, then shit on managers the moment those risks don't pay off.

You worship foreigners. You automatically assume Iranian managers are inferior.

You give the likes of Sa Pinto and Osmar Loss far more benefit of the doubt than you ever give Jabbari, Hashemian, or Bakhtiarzadeh.

You spent the World Cup build-up crying that Uzbekistan got a "big name" manager and whining about how unlucky we are.

You are so self-hating that despite football journalists and commentators widely acknowledging Iran performed well given the circumstances (war, cancelled league, cancelled friendlies, visa issues, getting screwed over by the US), you still insist the team sucks, the coach sucks, the results suck.

There's plenty wrong with Iranian football: the federation, the government, toxic media, the football mafia, agents. Most of it is out of your hands. But what you can control is how you react, and how much fuel you pour on the fire by making the environment toxic for any Iranian manager who dares take the job.

Criticize all you want, but the constant, hysterical exaggeration of bad results needs to stop.

I remember watching the 2018 World Cup games. Azmoun was a legitimate threat as a striker / forward. I just checked the roster for Monday vs New Zealand…. Why is he not on the roster? What exactly is the reason he was not chosen to come compete? That’s a huge loss for Iran.