Iran arrive in Los Angeles for World Cup opener against New Zealand

LOS ANGELES: Iran's football team arrived in the United States on Sunday for the first time during the World Cup, landing at Los Angeles International Airport ahead of its opening Group G match against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on Monday.

The squad flew in from Tijuana, Mexico, where it had been staying after leaving its base camp there earlier in the day. Their arrival came on the same day that a peace agreement between the United States and Iran was announced, giving added significance to a fixture being played against the backdrop of the recent war between the two countries.

Speaking through a translator at a press conference at the stadium, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said he was proud to represent his country and expressed hope that the sport could help bring people together. He also said the players and coaching staff were not involved in politics and were in the United States to play football and represent Iranians both inside the country and in the diaspora.

Ghalenoei said travel demands and visa denials for some members of Iran's football federation had affected the team negatively. Iran shifted its World Cup base camp from a sports complex in Arizona to Mexico late last month after the United States and Israel began joint strikes on Iran in late February. As a result, the team will have to travel from Mexico to the United States for each of its three group-stage matches.

The peace deal to end the war is due to be signed at an official ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, according to social media posts by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday.

Before departing from Tijuana, the Iranian team was given a warm sendoff outside its hotel, where supporters gathered several rows deep along the sidewalk chanting Team Melli as players made their way to the team bus. Some players waved and smiled, while members of the delegation recorded the scene on their phones.

Supporters also displayed signs and sang messages of support in Spanish. One person held a yellow placard reading Iran, you will never walk alone. Mexico stands with you, while at another moment the crowd chanted Iran, brother, you are Mexican now. A young boy sitting on someone's shoulders held the official Panini Fifa World Cup 2026 sticker album open to the Iran squad page.

Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj stood outside the hotel as the team departed, and many supporters followed the bus down the street as it drove away.

The Iranian community in Tijuana numbers around 20 people, and is far smaller than the one in Los Angeles, which is described as home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Tens of thousands of Iranian Americans live in Los Angeles, where a distinct diaspora commonly referred to as Tehrangeles has taken root.

This is the first World Cup since the tournament began in 1930 in which a host nation has welcomed a country with which it is at war.