How Iran won the World Cup (or didn't lose it anyway)

Iran was knocked out of the World Cup on Saturday, yet the government’s now calling it a victory. Whether or not it’s the moral victory they say it is, a tidal wave of international support points to a plausible PR victory. Iran’s football fate was sealed by two last-minute plot twists, earning them the BBC title of ‘Unluckiest team in World Cup history’. But global commentators hit back hard: not “luck”, they said, but “sabotage”, “discrimination” “corruption” – by the hosting USA. Was Iran the unluckiest team in World Cup History– or the worst treated? And while the Iranian team lost the battle on the pitch, did they score a bigger victory on the geopolitical playing field? MEE Live host Mathilda Mallinson is joined by MEE journalist Rayhan Uddin. Watch MEE LIVE, our new biweekly live news programme, where we take a look at the news shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis and hard-hitting interviews. MEE LIVE: Tuesday & Thursday | 12pm EST | 5pm GMT | Join the conversation at [email protected] Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @middleeasteye   Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Instagram:   / middleeasteye   Like us on Facebook:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Twitter:   / middleeasteye