2026 World Cup: US security chief Markwayne Mullin 'danced with happiness' after Iran's elimination
Markwayne Mullin, the US head of homeland security, expressed his joy over Iran's exit from the World Cup, citing the challenges faced by the team during the tournament.
The United States' head of homeland security, Markwayne Mullin, revealed that he was so happy with Iran's elimination from the World Cup that he even 'danced with happiness' when the news was confirmed. Iran failed to qualify for the group stage due to an injury-time goal against Egypt that was disallowed due to a millimeter offside. Coach Amir Ghalenoei stated that his team was the 'most oppressed' in the tournament, amid the context of conflicts between his country and the USA and Israel.
Before the start of the World Cup, Iran's training base was transferred from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, and the team faced several travel restrictions during the event. Despite a 1-1 draw against Egypt on Saturday, Iran still had a chance of qualifying as one of the eight best third-placed teams. However, their elimination was confirmed when Algeria and Austria played out a thrilling 3-3 draw on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mullin commented: "I'm just happy that they broke up, and that they're not coming back. I was so happy when we were able to revoke their visas and let them know they could leave US soil, and maybe I even sang a song or two or maybe even danced with happiness."
He further added: “There wasn’t a single team we had to deal with more than Iran.” Iran was allowed to enter the US just one day before its first two games and had to leave on the same day as the matches, according to the conditions of their visas. Those restrictions were eased for the final group stage game in Seattle, allowing them to arrive two days early, but they had to return to Tijuana after Saturday's match.
Coach Ghalenoei highlighted that the USA, co-hosts of the World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, treated them “very unfairly” and that his team had “less than half” the training time needed to prepare. Iran captain Mehdi Taremi added: "This kind of tension takes away from the joy of the World Cup. I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived."
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