Heartbreak is to be expected at a World Cup.
For every moment of glory, there is a hard-luck story, a nation left to bemoan their misfortune and the injustices that have led to their downfall.
Yet few compare to the cruel manner that brought Iran’s tournament to an end in 2026.
Facing unprecedented challenges even before a ball was kicked, Amir Ghalenoei’s side had worked themselves into a position where a place in the last 32 was in their grasp – only for it to be snatched away from them at the last… not once but twice.
Despite being unbeaten in the group stage, Iran came up agonisingly short and missed out on a place in the knockout stage on goal difference.
But there was much more to it than that…