Iran's football team arrived in the United States for the first time at this World Cup on June 14, landing at Los Angeles International Airport and holding a press conference on the same day that a peace deal between the two countries was announced.
The team came from Tijuana, Mexico, where they had left their training base. They had a warm send-off before heading to their opening match against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on Monday.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said through a translator at the stadium press conference that he is very happy to represent Iran, describing it as a great, proud, and strong nation. He also said he hopes football will bring happiness and enjoyment and help bring countries and cultures closer.
Their Group G match against New Zealand will take place in a tense atmosphere because of the US-Iran war situation and the newly announced peace deal. The two countries have never faced each other at a World Cup before.
Iran had earlier moved their World Cup base from Arizona to Mexico after joint US and Israel strikes on Iran began in late February. Because of this, the team will now travel from Mexico to the US for each of their three group matches. The coach also said that travel issues and visa denials for some federation members have negatively affected the team.
The US-Iran agreement to end the war is expected to be officially signed in Switzerland during a ceremony on Friday, according to statements shared on social media by US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Ghalenoei added that the players and coaches are not involved in politics.
He said they are only there to play football and represent the respectful people of Iran, both inside the country and around the world.
