Iran held a send-off ceremony Wednesday for the national football team as it prepared to play in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
- +Iran Holds World Cup Send-Off For National Football Team
“The national team players in the World Cup will represent the people, the country’s fighters, the leader (supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei), and the country,” said Taj.
“The national team players in the World Cup will represent the people, the country’s fighters, the leader (supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei), and the country,” said Taj.
“Our national team is the national football team of wartime,” he said, adding that the team would be a “pillar of authority and resistance”.
People at the ceremony waved flags and belted out chants and slogans, some holding placards and pictures of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed during the US-Israel attacks on Iran that triggered the Middle East war.
“For the blood of the martyrs, sing the national anthem with firmness and without hesitation,” read one placard.
Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in Group G.
The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
