Iran captain Mehdi Taremi launches scathing attack on FIFA and Gianni Infantino: ‘The World Cup is a disaster’

There are more than 200 countries that compete in FIFA, but when Seattle decided to turn a crucial World Cup group finale into an unofficial Pride Match, the soccer gods delivered the ultimate punchline.

An ordinary bruiser of an encounter was bracketed by five minutes of wonderful madness and it almost produced a goal that would be both a winner and a diplomatic incident.

The emotions were still raw for Iran players and their ‌coach long after the final whistle of the team’s 1-1 draw against Egypt in their group-stage finale at Seattle Stadium on Friday night.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already delivered plenty of drama on the pitch so far, but one of the tournament's biggest talking points right now has nothing to do with goals, VAR decisions, 'juju magic' spells or title contenders.