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Iran's shot team arrived successful the United States for the archetypal clip astatine this World Cup connected Sunday (June 14, 2026), landing astatine Los Angeles International Airport conscionable earlier a peace woody betwixt the nations was announced.
The squad arrived aft a abbreviated formation from Tijuana, Mexico, wherever they near their basal campy earlier to a rousing sendoff up of their opening crippled against New Zealand astatine Los Angeles Stadium connected Monday. The A320 craft touched down connected runway 25L astatine 4:11 p.m. ET connected its 2nd landing effort nether sunny skies astatine the airport, which is astir 15 minutes from the Los Angeles Stadium that volition big Iran's World Cup opener against New Zealand connected Monday.
The players were expected to head to their edifice wherever a constabulary information beingness was already successful place. Sidewalks were being blocked disconnected by police, who were extending concertina information coils on sections of the beforehand of the hotel.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi are scheduled to instrumentality portion successful a property league astatine Los Angeles Stadium astatine 6:45 p.m. ET.
An authoritative gives retired Iran flags to fans extracurricular the edifice successful Tijuana, Mexico | Photo Credit: Reuters
The squad's Group G fixture against New Zealand volition beryllium played against the backdrop of the U.S. warfare with Iran and the recently announced bid deal, adding a charged ambiance to a contest betwixt 2 nations who person ne'er met astatine the World Cup. Iran moved their World Cup basal campy from a sports analyzable successful Arizona to Mexico precocious past period aft the U.S. and Israel conducted associated strikes connected Iran opening successful precocious February.
The U.S.-Iran woody to extremity the warfare volition beryllium signed during an authoritative ceremonial connected Friday successful Switzerland, U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said connected societal media connected Sunday.
'Bring an extremity to this regime’
While the squad flew to LA, a radical of protesters calling for ideology successful Iran and denouncing its authorities rallied adjacent Los Angeles Stadium.
"No Shah - No Mullah successful Iran - Regime Change by Iranians," said placards. Pictures and posters of athletes who protesters said had died aft being arrested by the Iranian authorities lined a engaged thoroughfare country successful Inglewood.
The January crackdown connected protests successful Iran, which rights groups and activists accidental killed thousands - and perchance tens of thousands - was a peculiar outrage to Mojgan Ramezani, 56, an Iranian American astatine the rally.
"They're holding hostage their ain people," said Ramezani.
Hassan Haddadi, 70, said helium was frustrated that astir of the world's governments had done small to enactment alteration successful Iran.
“We’re hoping to bring consciousness to the occidental world, to someway bash thing beyond conscionable condemning, to bring an extremity to this regime," said Haddadi.
'Mexico stands with you'
Earlier successful Tijuana, supporters lining five-deep connected a packed sidewalk extracurricular Iran's edifice chanted "Team Melli" — Persian for "national team" — arsenic the Iranian players emerged from the edifice and walked towards the waiting bus.
Many of the players waved and smiled astatine those who had gathered portion immoderate members of the delegation took video of the country with their phones.
One protagonist held a yellowish motion with achromatic lettering reading: "Iran, you volition ne'er locomotion alone. Mexico stands with you."
A young lad perched connected someone's shoulders clutched the authoritative Panini FIFA World Cup 2026 sticker album, unfastened to the Iran squad page.
At 1 point, the assemblage sang successful Spanish, "Iran, brother, you are Mexican now."
Iranian shot federation President Mehdi Taj stood extracurricular the edifice arsenic the players near with galore of the supporters pursuing the autobus down the thoroughfare arsenic it drove away. The Iranian assemblage successful Tijuana is tiny - astir 20 radical - and overmuch smaller than that of Los Angeles, which is location to the largest Iranian assemblage extracurricular Iran. Tens of thousands of Iranian-Americans unrecorded successful Los Angeles, wherever a chiseled diaspora often referred to arsenic "Tehrangeles" has taken root.
This is the archetypal World Cup since its inception successful 1930 successful which a big federation has received a state it is astatine warfare with.
