Mexican fans turn out for Iran at World Cup match in LA

LOS ANGELES: Mexican football supporters turned out in large numbers to back Iran during its World Cup match against Belgium at SoFi Stadium, as the Iranian team navigates a tournament overshadowed by travel and visa difficulties.

Among them was Alan Romero, a 35-year-old supporter wearing a Mexico jersey, who told AFP he left Tijuana at 4am on Sunday and drove to Los Angeles specifically to support Iran. He was one of hundreds of Mexican fans at the stadium for a fixture that did not involve their own national side.

The support was evident during key moments of the match, including when Iran nearly found the net against Belgium before the effort was ruled out for offside, prompting loud whistles from the crowd. Romero said Mexican supporters had adopted Iran as their other team for the tournament and said he was proud that Tijuana was able to host the Iranian squad at short notice after developments away from the pitch prevented them from using their planned training base in the United States.

AFP reported that the backdrop to the match included the United States and Israel's war against Iran. The Iranian side has complained of unfair treatment relating to US visas, travel times and equal conditions with the other teams that qualified for the World Cup.

Iran relocated its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana after 12 members of its staff were denied US visas. The situation has contributed to an unexpected sense of solidarity between Mexican and Iranian fans, a connection that was also visible during Iran's opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles.

Players and supporters acknowledge backing

Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi thanked Mexican fans after the game and said the team hoped the support would continue in its remaining matches. "We're looking forward to the next two matches, we hope they'll keep supporting us this way," he said.

Art Eftekhari, a 44-year-old Iranian American YouTuber who runs a channel focused on Iran's national team, also highlighted the scale of the backing from the stands. "The support from the Mexican fans has been unbelievable," he said.

He said that encouragement had helped offset the controversies surrounding Team Melli during the tournament build-up.