Iran’s national team lands in the US for its World Cup opener against New Zealand after a peace deal announcement between both countries.
- +Iran Team Arrive In US For World Cup Opener Against New Zealand
Iran’s national football team arrived in the United States on Sunday for the first time during the World Cup, landing at Los Angeles International Airport on the same day Iran and the US announced a peace deal aimed at ending their war.
Iran’s national football team arrived in the United States on Sunday for the first time during the World Cup, landing at Los Angeles International Airport on the same day Iran and the US announced a peace deal aimed at ending their war.
The squad travelled from its base in Tijuana, Mexico, receiving a warm send-off before heading to Los Angeles for Monday’s Group G opener against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium.
Speaking through a translator at a press conference, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said: “I am very happy to be representing the great, proud and strong nation of Iran.”
He added: “I hope that football will bring about joy and enjoyment, and bring closer the cultures and countries.”
The match will take place against the backdrop of the recent conflict between Iran and the United States and the newly announced agreement to end hostilities, creating added attention around a fixture between two nations meeting for the first time at a World Cup.
Iran relocated its World Cup base camp from Arizona to Mexico late last month after the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.
The arrangement means Iran must travel from Mexico to the United States for each of its three group-stage matches. Ghalenoei said the travel demands, along with visa denials affecting some members of Iran’s football federation, had disrupted preparations.
US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on social media on Sunday that the US-Iran agreement would be formally signed during a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday.
As the Iranian team arrived in Los Angeles, protesters gathered near the stadium calling for democratic change in Iran and criticising the country’s government.
Placards carried messages including: “No Shah – No Mullah in Iran – Regime Change by Iranians.”
Posters and photographs of athletes whom protesters said died after being arrested by Iranian authorities were displayed along a busy street in Inglewood.
