TEHRAN - Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj has apologized to the Iranian people following the national team's disappointing World Cup campaign, admitting that Team Melli fell short of expectations after failing to progress beyond the group stage.

Speaking at the Football Association General Assembly in Kerman on Monday, Taj defended the team's overall performance while acknowledging that Iran should have achieved a better result.

"We failed to advance from our group," Taj said. "We could have delivered a better performance, and for that, I apologize to the people of Iran. However, there are important circumstances that should also be taken into consideration."

Taj pointed to the logistical challenges Iran faced during the tournament, particularly the late relocation of the team's training base to Mexico.

"If we had known from the beginning that we would be based in Mexico during the World Cup, we would have held our entire preparation camp in Tijuana instead of Turkey," he explained. "We arrived just six days before our opening match after crossing a 12-hour time difference. That was one of the biggest obstacles our team had to deal with."

Taj also praised the national team's tribute to the victims of the "Minab 168" school tragedy, saying the squad proudly carried the name "Minab 168" throughout the competition as a symbol of remembrance.