DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he ‘danced a happy dance’ over Iran’s exit, as the team’s coach decried its treatment as the most oppressed
Following Iran’s departure from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Secretary for the US Department of Homeland Security openly admitted his happiness over the country’s exit from the competition.
Markwayne Mullin told reporters on 29 June he was “glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back”.
“I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance,” said Mullin.
“There wasn’t a single team that we had to spend more time dealing with than Iran.”
His comments came a few days after the US conducted missile and drone strikes against Iran in a conflict that has continued on-and-off since February 2026.
Iran exited the World Cup after finishing third in Group G with three points. The team was based in Tijuana, Mexico after switching camp location from Arizona, following travel restrictions into the US. The team had to fly into the US for each of their games against New Zealand and Belgium (in Los Angeles), and Egypt (in Seattle).
The Middle East nation was only allowed to enter the US for its two games one day before kick-off, and had to leave after the game finished on the same day.
While this was eased for the final game against Egypt, when the team was allowed to arrive in the US two days before the game, Head Coach Amir Ghalenoei still heavily criticised the squad’s treatment throughout the tournament, claiming they have been the “most oppressed” throughout the competition.
Iran calls out FIFA
Many of the criticisms from Ghalenoei are directed at pressure placed upon the squad to leave the US immediately after the conclusion of each group game.
“We’ve been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that,” said Ghalenoei following Iran’s 2-2 draw against New Zealand.
“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.”
He added immediate departures from the US to Mexico affected team recovery, pointing out that Iran is the only country at the World Cup which no local media, federation members and management attending.
“Our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn’t here, our media isn’t here, our management isn’t here.”
Iran Captain Mehdi Taremi was also vocal in his criticism over the treatment of the national football team, labelling every part of the team’s involvement as a “disaster”.
“This kind of tension undermines the joy of the World Cup,” said Taremi. “I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived.”
Taremi also revealed that FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, had entered the Iran dressing room following the New Zealand game to hear the team’s concerns.
Some Iranian supporters’ tickets that were purchased prior to the World Cup were withdrawn in dispute selling out its 8% allocation. This was a decision carried out by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control.
A statement from the Iranian Football Federation following the decision to withdraw tickets said: “Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.
“This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world’s biggest football event.”
