Amir Qalibafan after the World Cup: We fought with the minimum facilities
Amir Qalibafan, the head coach of the Iran national football team, spoke in his first in-depth interview after returning from the 2026 World Cup, discussing the team's conditions and the challenges they faced during the tournament.
Qalibafan mentioned that many of the events that occurred for the national team were never seen before. According to him, on the night of the matches, many officials, including the president and vice-president of the federation, team manager, internal manager, and even the transmission forces, were not present with the team, and a large part of the affairs were performed by the members of the technical staff.
He added that, in addition to technical issues, executive and management problems also put a lot of pressure on the technical staff. The head coach of the national team said that the technical staff had developed several different programs for preparing the team before the start of the matches, but the conditions that occurred made these programs change several times.
Challenges faced by the national team in the World Cup
Qalibafan emphasized that, despite these problems, the technical staff tried to manage the situation without creating controversy or blaming others. The head coach of the national team dedicated another part of his speech to the difficulties of the Iranian team's journey and said: The players and technical staff members were first transferred from Ankara to Malaga, then they were delayed for hours at the airport, and finally, they took a long journey to Tijuana.
Support for the national team
Qalibafan also claimed that in part of the flight, the power system of the aircraft seats failed, and this caused concern among the team members. The head coach of the national team in another part of his speech criticized some of the transmission figures and critics and said: Those who were not present during the crisis, after the World Cup, had the opportunity to speak against the national team.
Performance of the national team
Qalibafan thanked the players of the national team, the federation, Mehdi Taj, Mehdi Nabi, the Minister of Sports, and the President for their support and said that they had made every effort to provide suitable conditions, although the international problems did not allow the complete implementation of the programs. He added that the players of the national team, despite all the hardships, showed selflessness and used all their power to achieve the team's success.
Last result
The last result: Egypt 1-1 Iran (2026-06-27). The Iranian national football team drew with Egypt in their last match in the 2026 World Cup. Recent form (last 5): 2W-3D-0L (DDDWW, most recent first); unbeaten in the last 5.
