INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Six days ago here at SoFi Stadium, in enemy territory, amid a cloud of tension, Iran’s national soccer team began airing grievances, reasons that it seemingly could not succeed at this 2026 World Cup.Its coach, Amir Ghalenoei, called his team the “most oppressed” team at the tournament. Players spoke about how U.S. travel restrictions were hampering them. “Everything is like a disaster for us,” striker Mehdi Tarehmi said, and after a 2-2 draw with New Zealand that night, they sounded like preemptive excuses for an early World Cup exit.But on Sunday, back at the same stadium in greater Los Angeles, the Iranians banded together, earned a defiant draw against Belgium, and sent a very different message.“We have said enough about the situation we are in,” winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh said.It was time, instead, to unite — as a team and as a people.The Iranians put multiple scares into heavily favored Belgium. They shackled superstars like Kevin de Bruyne and Leandro Trossard. They scored a goal that was narrowly disallowed upon review. They mobbed their goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, after a heroic second-half save. As the final whistle neared, they pushed for a winner, and some players were disappointed they didn’t get one.But they took pride in a 0-0 draw that, at least for a few hours, put them on top of Group G.How’d they do it amid all the adverse circumstances?“This is part of our culture,” Jahanbakhsh said. “In a difficult situation, we perform better.”Alireza Beiranvand produced a memorable display in goal (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)Two days ago, they were sitting at lunch in Tijuana, Mexico, not knowing when exactly they would travel from their base camp to Los Angeles. According to Ghalenoei, FIFA called that day to raise the possibility of a Friday evening flight ahead of Sunday’s game — which is what Iran had asked for all along. But the Friday travel plans never materialized, he said.Instead, at the mercy of U.S. authorities, the team traveled on Saturday afternoon. Ghalenoei claimed they were unable to complete a full training session.“These constraints have made it very difficult for us,” he said via an interpreter at his news conference that night.But “difficult,” it seems, is just how the Iranians like it.