With Iran officially eliminated from the FIFA World Cup, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the administration’s treatment of the team during the group stage and said he was “so glad they’re gone.”

Axar.az reports, citing Sports Business Journal, Iranian soccer officials complained before and during the World Cup that restrictions imposed by the U.S. government amid the ongoing military conflict between the countries placed the team at a competitive disadvantage. Those restrictions included requiring Iran to move its base camp from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana, Mexico; allowing the team to enter the U.S. only one day before its matches; and requiring it to return to Tijuana immediately afterward.

Mullin expressed little sympathy for the Iranian team on Monday. During a World Cup security briefing at the government’s Special Event Coordination Center, he told interagency personnel that he was “very happy they’re going back because there wasn’t a single team that we dealt with more than them.” Speaking to a small group of reporters afterward, he expanded on that sentiment.

“I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back,” Mullin said. “I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the U.S. soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”

Notably, Iran finished third in Group G of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with three points from three matches and failed to qualify for the knockout stage.