Op-ed: Sports is supposed to rise above politics

Asieh Namdar is an anchor with CGTN America. She gives her thoughts on the Iranian team players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite being eliminated from the tournament without losing a match, Team Melli was revered for its dogged perseverance amid the difficulties they experienced with the U.S. government and the conflict in their home country.

Sports is supposed to rise above politics, at least that's what we're told. I don't follow the World Cup unless Iran is playing.

This year, like millions of Iranians around the world, I found myself screaming or holding my breath over every kick, every save, and every near miss. 

And today, I'm sad, angry... but incredibly proud.

These players fought through far more than football. Before they ever stepped onto the pitch, they faced obstacles no other team in this tournament had to endure: visa complications, travel restrictions, last-minute flights across borders, and political tensions that turned what should have been a celebration of sport into a logistical quagmire.

While other teams focused on tactics and recovery, Iran's players were forced to navigate uncertainty that had nothing to do with football. Yet they played, and they played hard.

They carried themselves with courage, resilience, and dignity. They fought for every ball, every point, and every chance.

Then came the match against Egypt. 

When Iran thought it had scored the goal that would keep its World Cup hopes alive, VAR intervened. The goal was ruled offside. In an instant, jubilation turned into disbelief. 

It wasn't the first time. Earlier in the tournament, against Belgium, another Iranian goal was wiped off the board after a VAR review.

Even then, hope wasn't gone. 

Iran still had a path.

Three games. Three chances.

First came Croatia against Ghana. Ghana had to win. When Croatia won, one path disappeared.

Then attention shifted to DR Congo against Uzbekistan.

 A draw, or an Uzbekistan victory, would have been enough to keep Iran alive. DR Congo won, and another door slammed shut.

Everything came down to the final game: Austria versus Algeria. As long as there was a winner, Team Melli would advance. A victory for either Austria or Algeria would keep Iran's World Cup dream alive. Only one result would eliminate them: a draw.

For nearly the entire match, that seemed unlikely. Algeria found the breakthrough and suddenly hope surged again. Around the world, Iranian fans were refreshing scores, texting family and friends, and daring to believe.

Then came the cruel twist.

Austria found a late equalizer. The match ended in a draw. Just like that, the final door closed.

Iran, the only team eliminated without losing a match. That's football. But for Team Melli and for millions of Iranian fans watching

around the world, the sequence felt almost unbearably cruel. One by one, every remaining chance painfully slipped away.

I don't know much about sports. I came to the U.S. as a child and never really got  into them. I only learned much later, watching my daughters play competitive fast-pitch softball. 

My husband, a huge sports fan, always told me that sports is supposed to rise above politics, one of the few places where talent, teamwork, and determination should matter most.

I don't know anymore. We saw how this tournament never truly gave Team Melli that chance.

As an Iranian American, I know this team means different things to different people. Politics will always divide opinions.

But these young men represented something universal: perseverance in the face of adversity. They never stopped fighting. They never stopped believing.

Watching them endure so much, only to see their World Cup journey end this way...

Frankly, it's soul-crushing.

Thank you, Team Melli, for showing the world what heart, humanity and grit look like.