what needs to happen for iran to advance in world cup

Iran’s path depends on the result of the other Group G match and, if needed, the third-place tiebreakers for the round of 32. Based on the latest match reports, Iran were in a strong position after their 1-1 draw with Egypt, but their fate depended on Austria vs Algeria; a draw there meant Iran were eliminated, while another result could have kept them alive on third-place criteria.

What Iran needed

• Best case: Beat Egypt and advance directly.
• With a draw: Iran could still advance only if the Austria-Algeria result and tiebreakers broke in their favor.
• With a loss: Iran would likely be out.

What happened

• Reporting later in the day said Iran’s chance was decided when Austria and Algeria drew 3-3 , which eliminated Iran from advancing.
• So the short answer is: Iran needed the other result to go their way, but it didn’t, so they were eliminated.

In plain English

Iran were basically waiting on another match to leave the door open, but once that game ended in a draw, the door shut. TL;DR: Iran needed a favorable Austria-Algeria result plus help on tiebreakers; after the draw, they were out.