Thousands of Iranian fans gathered at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport in the wee hours Wednesday to celebrate the return of the national football team, Team Melli, from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The fans cheered for the players who put up an exuberant performance, but failed to book a place for the next round of 16 in the competition.
The Supreme Leader of Iran, President Hassan Rouhani, as well as many other top Iranian officials, personally praised the team’s excellent performance.