Iran’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Saeid Ezatolahi throughout coaching at Carson Sports activities Park, Carson, California, US, June 14, 2026. — Reuters
Iran’s soccer workforce arrived in the USA for the primary time at this World Cup on Sunday, touchdown at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport and holding a press convention on the identical day {that a} peace deal between the 2 nations was introduced.
The Iran squad arrived after a brief flight from Tijuana, Mexico, the place they left their base camp earlier to a rousing sendoff forward of their opening recreation in opposition to New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on Monday.
“I am very happy to be representing the great, proud and strong nation of Iran,” Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei stated by means of a translator in a press convention on the stadium.
“I hope that football will bring about joy and enjoyment, and bring closer the cultures and countries.”
The squad’s Group G fixture in opposition to New Zealand will likely be performed in opposition to the backdrop of the US battle with Iran and the newly-announced peace deal, including a charged environment to a contest between two nations who’ve by no means met at a World Cup.
Iran moved their World Cup base camp from a sports activities complicated in Arizona to Mexico late final month after the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran starting in late February.
Iran will now must make the journey from Mexico to the US for every of their three group matches and Ghalenoei stated the journey and the denial of visas into the US for some members of their soccer federation had negatively affected the squad.
The US-Iran deal to finish the battle will likely be signed throughout an official ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on social media on Sunday.
Ghalenoei stated the squad’s gamers and coaches had been “not political people.”
“We are here to play football and represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside Iran or the Iranian diaspora.”
‘Mexico stands with you’
Earlier in Tijuana, supporters lining five-deep on a packed sidewalk exterior Iran’s resort chanted “Team Melli” — Persian for “national team” — because the Iranian gamers emerged from the resort and walked in the direction of the ready bus.
Most of the gamers waved and smiled at those that had gathered whereas some members of the delegation took video of the scene with their telephones.
One supporter held a yellow signal with black lettering studying: “Iran, you will never walk alone. Mexico stands with you.”
A younger boy perched on somebody’s shoulders clutched the official Panini Fifa World Cup 2026 sticker album, open to the Iran squad web page.
At one level, the group sang in Spanish, “Iran, brother, you are Mexican now.”
Iranian soccer federation President Mehdi Taj stood exterior the resort because the gamers left with most of the supporters following the bus down the road because it drove away.
The Iranian group in Tijuana is tiny – round 20 folks – and far smaller than that of Los Angeles, which is residence to the most important Iranian group exterior Iran.
Tens of 1000’s of Iranian People stay in Los Angeles, the place a definite diaspora also known as “Tehrangeles” has taken root.
That is the primary World Cup since its inception in 1930 by which a bunch nation has acquired a rustic it’s at battle with.
