Iran likely coming to Vancouver for FIFA World Cup knockout match
The Round of 32 is nearly set, as the FIFA World Cup group stage concludes on Saturday.
When that happens, we’ll know who is headed to Vancouver for a knockout round match at BC Place on July 2.
We know one team for sure, as Switzerland clinched its spot in the match by virtue of finishing ahead of Canada and winning Group B. Their opponent will be a third-place qualifier, which is decided by a complicated formula outlined by FIFA.
We now know that it’ll probably be Iran, with The Athletic giving it a 92 per cent likelihood. But it could also still be Algeria (8 per cent).
The only way that we’ll see Algeria play at BC Place is if all three of these things happen on Saturday:
- Algeria gets a draw or a win against Austria
- Croatia gets a draw or a win against Ghana, or Panama beats England by 2+ goals
- DR Congo beats Uzbekistan, or Uzbekistan beats DR Congo by 7+ goals
Iran would surely welcome playing in Canada, after what the team has had to endure so far in the United States.
Iran has had to play under a different set of rules compared to other countries, due to restrictions put on them by the U.S. government. The team is only permitted in the country for a short period of time before and after games, and many members of Iran’s support staff were denied entry altogether.
Iran’s coach and players have been outspoken about the way they’ve been treated, with team captain Mehdi Taremi calling it a “disaster World Cup” on Friday.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei described his team as the “most oppressed” team at the World Cup.
“We’ve been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that,” he said after his team’s opening game in Los Angeles. “They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best.”