Why Iranians celebrated their soccer team’s World Cup elimination

Why Iranians Celebrated Their Soccer Team’s World Cup Elimination | GZERO World

Withhold your sympathy for the Iranian national soccer team, says Iranian activist and journalist Masih Alinejad. They represented the Islamic regime, she tells Ian Bremmer in an upcoming GZERO World interview, not the people.

Alinejad goes on to argue that the national team’s World Cup elimination (at the hands of the United States, no less) means that “the Islamic Republic is kicked out of the World Cup. It doesn’t have a global platform anymore to normalize its murderous regime.”

In a lively conversation, Bremmer presses Alinejad on why she believes that the Iranian soccer players did “too little, too late” to protest their government when they had the world’s attention.

Stay tuned for the full interview in next week’s episode of GZERO World. Check local public television listings.

More from GZERO Media

Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022.
Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

$1 trillion: Tesla shareholders approved a $1-trillion pay package for owner Elon Musk, a move that is set to make him the world’s first trillionaire – if the company meets certain targets. The pay will come in the form of stocks.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz walk after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, on November 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Adriano Machado

When it comes to global warming, the hottest ticket in the world right now is for the COP30 conference, which runs for the next week in Brazil. But with world leaders putting climate lower on the agenda, what can the conference achieve?

- YouTube

How do we ensure AI is trustworthy in an era of rapid technological change? Baroness Joanna Shields, Executive Chair of the Responsible AI Future Foundation, says it starts with principles of responsible AI and a commitment to ethical development.

October 21, 2025: The owner of this cattle feedlot in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, USA, used to fly a Trump/Vance flag. The Trump/Vance flag is no longer flying at the feedlot.

Jerry Mennenga/ZUMA Press Wire

These days, US farmers aren’t just worried about the weather jeopardizing their harvests. They’re keeping a close eye on geopolitical storms as well.