LOS ANGELES: Iran national football team arrived in the United States of America (USA) for the first time at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Sunday, landing at Los Angeles International Airport amid extraordinary political circumstances just before the announcement of a peace deal between Washington and Tehran.
The squad made their long-awaited entry into the country after travelling from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, where they had relocated due to diplomatic complications. Their arrival was met with a warm reception from supporters, even as off-field tensions continued to dominate headlines.
Iran’s build-up to the tournament has been anything but smooth, with visa restrictions forcing them to leave several members of their backroom staff behind in Mexico.
The team had initially based themselves in Arizona before shifting camp across the border in response to logistical and diplomatic issues.
The geopolitical backdrop added further significance to their arrival, coming just hours before a US-Iran peace deal was publicly announced to formally end recent hostilities. The agreement is expected to be signed later this week in Switzerland, with world leaders confirming progress on social media.
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Iran’s opening Group G fixture against New Zealand in Los Angeles is now set against an unprecedented international context, marking the first time in World Cup history that a host nation has received a team from a country with which it has recently been in conflict.
Despite the heightened attention, Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei insisted his squad remain fully focused on football.
“We are here to perform a good match, a high-quality match. We don’t pay attention to any of the hype,” he said. “Naturally, all teams have their own problems… football is separate from politics.”
Ghalenoei added that his players are determined to represent their country with pride, both for supporters at home and the global Iranian diaspora.
“We are not political people. We are here to represent the respectful people of Iran,” he said.
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