Iran Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Report: No plans for NBA Middle East games due to war
The NBA will not play any preseason games in the Middle East this year due to the ongoing war in Iran, ESPN reported Thursday.,As part of the NBA Global Games series, the league played exhibition contests in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in each of the previous four seasons.,Nothing official had ...

DHS secretary celebrates Iran's exit from World Cup with 'happy dance'
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin celebrated Iran's elimination from the World Cup, saying he did a "happy dance," Sports Business Journal reported on Monday.,The Iranian team barely missed out on reaching the knockout rounds of the tournament. They drew all three of their matches in...

Iran coach: US treatment at World Cup 'really terrible'
SEATTLE -- The emotions were still raw for Iran players and their coach long after the final whistle of the team's 1-1 draw against Egypt in their group-stage finale at Seattle Stadium on Friday night.,Seeking to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their World Cup history, Iran were...

Iran's stoppage-time goal disallowed in 1-1 draw with Egypt
SEATTLE -- Iran had a stoppage-time goal disallowed and settled for a 1-1 draw with Egypt in an intense final Group G game at Seattle Stadium on Friday night.,Defender Shojae Khalilzadeh appeared to have scored the game-winning goal three minutes into second-half stoppage time when he found the back...

Iran's stoppage-time goal overturned in 1-1 draw with Egypt
SEATTLE -- Iran had a stoppage-time goal overturned and settled for a 1-1 draw with Egypt in the final Group G game at Seattle Stadium on Friday night.,Defender Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to have scored the game-winning goal three minutes into second-half stoppage time when he found the back of the ...

Egypt, Iran fans bring peacefully charged World Cup scene in Seattle
SEATTLE -- A very charged pre-match environment surrounding Seattle Stadium remained peaceful ahead of Friday night's Group G match between Egypt and Iran.,Both countries' soccer federations had lodged concerns with FIFA about the so-called "Pride Match," with the city's host committee preparing act...

FIFA will allow rainbow flags at Egypt, Iran World Cup match
SEATTLE -- FIFA said it will allow fans to bring rainbow flags inside Seattle Stadium for Friday's World Cup match between Egypt and Iran, although it appears no additional activations will be permitted promoting the city's annual PrideFest.,Both countries' federations have stated objections to the ...

Iran cleared to enter US 2 days before critical Egypt match
Restrictions around the Iran national team's World Cup travel are being slightly loosened, with the team now permitted to travel to at U.S. game sites two days before the day of the match, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday.,Iran were previously forced to travel to game si...

Note of pride says Iran World Cup team leaves L.A. with 'dignity'
A representative for Iran's national soccer team left a note in the locker room Sunday showing appreciation to Los Angeles, while mentioning peace and global unity, after a scoreless draw against Belgium in a World Cup Group G match.,Iran played each of its first two matches at Inglewood, Calif., am...

Iran battle for 0-0 draw with 10-man Belgium, staying alive in Group G
Iran used seven saves from Alireza Beiranvand and a man advantage from a Belgium red card to pull out a 0-0 draw in the second consecutive tie for both teams in World Cup Group G play Sunday afternoon in Inglewood, Calif.,Beiranvand, 33, earned his second clean sheet in his seventh appearance across...

As Iran chase glory, fans divided on off-the-field matters
Managing one distraction at the World Cup is hard enough.,As Iran's 2-2 World Cup-opening draw against New Zealand showed, Team Melli have to handle two: the fallout from the armed conflict between Iran and the United States, and the adjacent division between Iranian-American fans who support or opp...

New Zealand's Elijah Just scores twice, but Iran rally for draw
Elijah Just scored a brace and Chris Wood had a pair of assists to help New Zealand, ranked 85th by FIFA, garner a 2-2 draw with 20th-ranked Iran in both teams' Group G opener Monday night in Inglewood, Calif.,Max Crocombe made two saves for the Kiwis, who took a 2-1 lead early in the second half bu...

Iran: World Cup ticket allotment rescinded
Iranian soccer fans planning to attend the World Cup in the United States have been denied tickets to the country's matches, Iran's football federation said Tuesday.,In a statement, the federation said it had reserved tickets to sell to fans, who already have their travel plans set, only to learn th...

Iran arrives at new base camp in Mexico ahead of World Cup
Amid the turmoil of war in their homeland, Iran arrived in North America on Sunday in advance of the World Cup which starts this week in Mexico, Canada and the United States.,After the tournament favorites and the trio of host countries, all eyes will be on the Iran team which is dealing with the po...

Iran accuses U.S. of 'vindictive behavior' with visa denials
The Iran Football Federation is accusing the United States of "vindictive behavior" regarding the refusal of visas for managerial and administrative members of its World Cup traveling party.,IFF said 14 officials and staffers have been refused visas prior to upcoming matches in Inglewood, Calif., an...

Group claims Iranian, African journalists denied visas for World Cup
"Many" Iranian and African journalists have been denied the necessary visas to cover the World Cup in the United States, according to the International Sports Press Association.,The association sent a letter on Friday to Bryan Swanson, FIFA's director of media relations, and Jochen Steinhoff, the so...

Report: Iran World Cup team issued visas to compete in U.S.
Players from Iran's World Cup team have been granted visas to enter the United States, Reuters reported on Friday.,A White House official confirmed the news to Reuters, offering that the players had received their visas overnight, shortly after Iranian ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh had sa...

Iran sets World Cup travel date following visa delay
Despite visa delays, the Iranian national team will travel to Mexico this weekend to prepare for the World Cup.,Iran's participation in this summer's tournament in North America has been in some doubt since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against the nation in late February.,Iran an...

Iran omits Sardar Azmoun from World Cup roster
Striker Sardar Azmoun was omitted from Iran's 26-man World Cup roster announced on Monday.,Azmoun has scored 57 goals in 91 national team appearances, but the 31-year-old was dropped from the squad in March. That reportedly stemmed from a social media post that Iranian officials took issue with duri...

FIFA confirms Iran’s World Cup base camp moved to Tijuana
FIFA confirmed Monday that Iran relocated its planned World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico amid the war in the Middle East and security concerns.,Iran had originally selected a sports complex in Tucson, Ariz., to serve as their national team's de facto headquarters during the Wor...